Stuart Smith
National MP
Kaikoura
With the election campaign in full swing, public interest in politics is growing, focusing on the policies that will shape New Zealand’s direction over the next three years.
There have been seven candidate debates in Kaikoura so far, with the largest audience of 70 people turning out in Balcairn, North Canterbury. I thank those who have organized the debates and ensured that the community has an opportunity to fully participate in our democracy by hearing from and meeting the candidates.
It is disappointing that there are so few who attend the debates but that has been the case for the three previous campaigns that I have been involved in. For many, the election cannot come soon enough as they have already made their mind up. But for those who haven’t, a debate is an opportunity to hear from the candidates and make a more informed decision.
Rebuilding the economy is what I am focusing on in the debates as that is the main issue I hear on the doorsteps and this is confirmed by the top five in the latest Ipsos poll:
- cost of living at 62 per cent
- crime, law and order at 36 per cent
- housing 32 per cent
- healthcare or hospitals 31 per cent
- the economy 24 per cent
Believe it or not, there will be 20 parties listed on the ballot paper [and] many appear to have similar platforms. We’ll need to wait and see whether there is a higher-than-usual number of votes for parties that don’t secure an electorate seat or surpass the five per cent threshold. Either way under our MMP system, votes cast for unsuccessful parties are redistributed on a pro-rata basis to those that do.
The only sure way to get New Zealand Back on Track is to Party Vote National.
