PM’s ties to Karel Sroubek decision deepen
Source: National Party The Prime Minister must explain her ties to convicted criminal Karel Sroubek and her role in allowing him to stay, as newly released text messages suggest a closer role than she’s let on, National’s Immigration spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says. “The Government has started the year as it finished – cynically dumping information […]
Read More →Twyford must explain resignation of KiwiBuild Head
Source: National Party The announcement that Stephen Barclay has officially resigned from his position in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development does not bode well for Housing Minister Phil Twyford’s KiwiBuild policy, National’s Housing spokesperson Judith Collins says. “Stephen Barclay was appointed the head of KiwiBuild by Mr Twyford in May last year with […]
Read More →Health Minister hiding state of DHB finances
Source: National Party The refusal of the Minister of Health, David Clark, to publish the financial performance of DHBs is a cynical attempt at masking their precarious financial situation, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says. “Reports on the financial performance of DHBs are usually published regularly on the Ministry of Health website, however, in the […]
Read More →Hardship grant increase shows baseline benefit must increase
Source: Green Party Hardship grants rising demonstrates why the baseline benefit needs to increase, Green Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. “We need to put the heart back into our social support system. This means providing support for New Zealanders so they can live with dignity. “New Zealanders understand that the cost of housing and rent […]
Read More →Benefits up as Govt makes it easier to do nothing
Source: National Party The number of people claiming the job seeker benefit has increased by 11,000 because the Government is going soft on benefit sanctions and those who don’t want to work, National’s Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston says. “Over the past year there has been a 42 per cent decline in the number of […]
Read More →Govt must act to support smoking cessation
Source: National Party The recent increase to cigarettes provides another incentive for smokers to quit but the Government must now ensure that smoking cessation tools are appropriately regulated and able to be used to encourage smokers to quit, National MP Nicky Wagner says. “Excise taxes have gone up by 10 per cent plus the CPI […]
Read More →Prisoner rehabilitation put above safety of guards
Source: National Party The Corrections Minister needs to explain why prisoners are being prioritised over guards after five serious assaults at Auckland’s brand new maximum security prison, National’s Corrections spokesperson David Bennett says. “Five prison guards have been attacked since the wing opened in October in two separate attacks. That includes a guard being punched […]
Read More →500% increase in organ donors being compensated
Source: National Party National MP Chris Bishop is welcoming the news that 92 people obtained full compensation for donating live organs last year, under the first full year of the Compensation for Live Organ Donors Act being in force. “It is fantastic that the implementation of my Member’s Bill, the Compensation for Live Organ Donors […]
Read More →Stricter penalties proposed for contaminated food
Source: National Party National’s Food Safety spokesperson Nathan Guy is backing calls from the food and grocery sector for tougher penalties for those who intentionally contaminate our food or threaten to do so. “My Member’s Bill seeks to achieve what Damien O’Connor appears unwilling to do – protect New Zealanders from those that would threaten […]
Read More →New Bill to protect victims of insane offenders
Source: National Party A new Bill from the National Party would ensure that the victims of legally insane offenders are treated the same as other victims of crime, Taupō MP Louise Upston says. “My Bill, which will be put into the Ballot this month, will rename the verdict of ‘not guilty on account of insanity.’ […]
Read More →Higher fines for litterbugs coming
Source: National Party As local councils grapple with the litter left behind by holidaymakers, a Member’s Bill from National could soon introduce stiffer penalties for people caught illegally dumping rubbish, National’s Environment spokesperson Scott Simpson says. “It really annoys me seeing our beautiful natural environment ruined by the careless and thoughtless actions of lazy litterbugs. […]
Read More →New Bill to grant police name suppression in fatal shootings
Source: National Party National’s Police spokesperson Chris Bishop has drafted a Member’s Bill to give automatic name suppression to police officers involved in fatal shootings. “By convention, the media choose not to report the names of police officers involved in shootings that lead to the death of a member of the public. However, it is […]
Read More →Kiwis to feel impact of higher living costs in 2019
Source: National Party New Zealanders face another year of higher living costs in 2019 as the impact of bad Government decisions ranging from increased taxes, wasteful spending and poorly thought through regulation start to bite, National’s Finance spokesperson Amy Adams says. “In its first year, the Labour-led Coalition made decisions that drove up living costs […]
Read More →Road-side drug testing petition launched
Source: National Party A nationwide petition calling for the urgent introduction of roadside drug testing has been launched in Nelson today by Matthew Dow’s family on the first anniversary of him being killed by driver high on meth, Nelson MP Nick Smith says. “New Year’s Eve should be a time of celebration and hope, but […]
Read More →Phone call to confirm Meningitis outbreak took 3 weeks
Source: National Party The Government’s slow response to the Northland Meningitis outbreak has been underlined again in a report that shows that the Technical Advisory Group wasn’t convened until three weeks after outbreak status was reached, MP for Whangarei Dr Shane Reti says. “The minutes of the Technical Advisory Group, obtained by National, suggest that […]
Read More →Minister again fails Māori students
Source: National Party News that the Government has failed to fund a programme that supports Māori students into science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) subjects is extremely disappointing and shows a repeating pattern of de-prioritisation of our Māori students, National’s Māori Education spokesperson Jo Hayes says. “The failure of the Government to support the popular, successful […]
Read More →Cannabis advertising shows lack of regulations
Source: National Party News that MedSafe is investigating cannabis billboard advertising in Auckland further confirms the lazy vacuum the Government has created for medicinal cannabis, National’s Associate Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says. “Earlier this year National released its own Medicinal Cannabis Bill which has been widely recognised as far superior to the Government’s legislation. […]
Read More →Petition launched to support surf lifesaving
Source: National Party A petition to ensure that surf lifesaving is recognised and funded as an emergency service has been launched today by Helensville MP Chris Penk. “Surf lifesaving is a vital service provided by thousands of Kiwi volunteers. “Surf lifesaving clubs currently rely on funding from a combination of sporting and community grants, fundraising […]
Read More →Year in Review: 2018
Source: New Zealand Labour Party It’s a time to look back on the year we’ve had – our achievements, our challenges, and our triumphs. This year, the first year of our Coalition Government, has been a truly special one. January At our first Cabinet meeting we began establishing the Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction – […]
Read More →Govt turns back on agricultural training provider
Source: National Party National is disappointed by the news that the Taratahi Institute of Agriculture is going into interim liquidation, National MPs Paula Bennett and Nathan Guy say. “The Government is bribing students into tertiary education through its fees free programme and yet is now allowing one of our biggest agricultural tertiary education providers to […]
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