Simon Court ACT Local Government spokesperson The Government needs to scrap its anti-democratic bill that would add unelected representatives to the Canterbury Regional Council based on their race. The Canterbury Regional Council (Ngai Tahu Representation) Bill gives Ngai Tahu the ability to appoint two un-elected representatives to council. Liberal democracy
Simon Court ACT Local Government spokesperson Labour has resorted to bribing councils and ratepayers to get its deeply unpopular Three Waters policy over the line. With a majority of councils refusing to take part in the Government’s Three Waters reforms, $2 billion in taxpayers’ money is now being doled
Simon Court ACT Local Government and Environment spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta has admitted under questioning from the ACT Party that there is no need for co-governance around Three Waters. I asked Mahuta using Written Parliamentary Questions “does the Minister believe that Maori have rights and interests in Three Waters assets built
Simon Court ACT Transport spokesperson Commuters across New Zealand will be disappointed that from 1 April the Government’s deeply unpopular car tax will be coming into effect. It sounds like it should be an April Fool’s gag, but from Friday onwards the Government will be taxing tradies to
Simon Court ACT Environment and Climate Change spokesperson The Government’s plan to force retailers in to using biofuels will pump up the price of fuel and is pointless when the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) can help us meet our targets anyway. MBIE have warned the Government that their mandate
Simon Court ACT Climate Change spokesperson The Climate Change Minister has spent more time in isolation than he spent in Glasgow announcing things that will make no real change to New Zealand’s pre-existing policies. Shaw left New Zealand on November 6 and returned on November 15. After nine days
Simon Court ACT Climate Spokesman Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw are blowing hot air with a climate target that is fanciful, given our trading partners’ more modest commitments and the reality of a country burning Indonesian coal to keep the lights on even now. It’s becoming increasingly clear ACT
Simon Court ACT Local Government spokesperson ACT will be campaigning to return stolen property to councils, reversing Three Waters reforms and restoring democracy to New Zealand. If Labour steals it, ACT will give it back. It doesn’t occur to Nanaia Mahuta that if people don’t like her plan,
Simon Court ACT Local Government spokesperson It is critical that New Zealanders have access to safe drinking water and high-quality infrastructure for storm and wastewater. Currently, the system is not up to scratch, but the Government’s proposed reforms simply miss the mark. Nanaia Mahuta claims councils have failed to
Simon Court ACT Local Government spokesperson The ACT Party has today released our Three Waters Policy as we respond to the Government’s proposal to move control of water assets away from local communities and into centralised bodies. It is critical that New Zealanders have access to safe drinking water
Simon Court ACT Energy spokesperson When questioned by the ACT Party about the risk of energy shortages, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said she’s considering a range of projects through the NZ Battery Project which doesn’t even exist yet. The Battery Project doesn’t have a business
Simon Court ACT transport spokesperson The depth of feeling from Wellington businesses couldn’t be clearer, it’s time for Let’s Get Wellington Moving to start listening. The full page advertisement in the Dominion Post from the newly formed Progress Wellington reflects the feelings of everyone I’ve spoken
Simon Court ACT Transport spokesperson Grant Robertson is right to have second thoughts about the Auckland Cycle Bridge. He should listen to New Zealanders and scrap the idea. This is what happens when you go cycling, you get cold feet. In this case, that’s perfectly fine. ACT revealed in
Simon Court ACT Infrastructure spokesperson The ACT Party has today announced it will introduce a Public-Private Partnership Agency known as the ‘Nation-Building Agency’ (NBA). The Nation-Building Agency will supercharge our investment into infrastructure, helping to build more, build faster, and at less cost to the taxpayer. Too often, the Government
Simon Court ACT Transport spokesperson The Transport Minister has admitted that more than 100,000 New Zealanders could be hit with his car tax next year. In answer to questions from the ACT Party, Michael Wood said between 74,600 and 107,400 vehicles would face the tax next year.
Simon Court ACT Transport spokesperson The first step towards a car tax that punishes tradies and farmers comes into effect today. From today, the Government will subsidise brand new electric vehicles for people who can already afford them. This is step one before they impose a tax on utes and
