The passing of Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of her 70-year reign and a new era with King Charles III as monarch. I would not describe myself as either a monarchist or a republican; I am a practical person who supports our constitutional monarchy because it works. I see
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. There is little doubt that smoking has a detrimental effect on health, and as a consequence is a burden on our health system. Approximately 5000 people die each year due to smoking or second-hand smoke exposure, and there is
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Next week, Cabinet will review the Covid traffic light setting, and, if they are sensible, they will drop the vaccine and mask mandates and return New Zealand to normal. As I travel around the country, I notice more and more people are not wearing masks,
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. The work that our frontline providers do to keep us safe is extraordinary. The men and women who contribute to our police force, fire and emergency response and first aid response often put their own livelihoods and families on
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura The Emissions Trading Scheme or ETS was introduced by the Labour Government in 2008 and is widely regarded as the primary tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. The ETS is essentially a market for greenhouse gas emissions in our economy, not including
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura The Three Waters debate is heating up as the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee, or FEC as it is known, begins to hear evidence on the Water Services Bill. The Three Waters legislation will enable the establishment of four Water Services Entities with convoluted co-governance
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. We are in a cost-of-living crisis as a result of a government who cannot manage the economy. Inflation is currently at a 7.2 per cent, which is a 32-year high. Wages are simply not keeping up with that,
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. New Zealand is one of the most diverse countries in the world. In virtually every town or city you venture to, every person has a different story, different ancestry and a different take on life. I’m proud to
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura ESG has been very popular in the corporate world: visit any medium to large business and you can be sure to hear about their ESG credentials. For those unfamiliar with the acronym it stands for Environment, Social and Governance. It is laudable that businesses should
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura It is amazing to see the unrest in the Netherlands with 30,000 Dutch farmers taking to the streets with their tractors to protest against government climate-change policies. The final straw was the plan to limit nitrogen fertilisers, which will in turn lead to reduced
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. What happened in the United States last month regarding the Roe vs. Wade case is shocking to say the least. The western world has made such major in-roads with LGBTQ+ rights, gender rights and many more in recent years,
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. New Zealand’s electoral laws belong to all New Zealanders. For democracy to work and for New Zealanders to ultimately have faith in our electoral system, it needs to be built on integrity and genuinely be non-partisan. We believe
After I wrote about the electricity crisis in Australia, last Thursday it happened here as Transpower declared a grid emergency. This should not have come as a surprise, as Transpower had warned last month, based on modelling, that there would be 37 days between June and August where there could
The recent electricity crisis in Australia is a stark warning of the dangers of government interfering in the market. Households in NSW were asked to cut their power use on three consecutive nights as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) seized control of the electricity market. In addition Australia’s
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura Below is Stuart Smith’s response. The ram-raids on retail stores across the North Island are appalling and it is a result of a government that has sent a message loud and clear to New Zealanders that they’re soft on crime. Since 2017, gang
Stuart Smith National MP Kaikoura On Monday the government released their first three emissions budgets, which take us out to 2035. These budgets are based on the Climate Change Commission’s advice to get New Zealand to net zero by 2050. Next week the government will release their Emissions Reduction
