<[link removed]>Friend,

Grab your tea and pull up a chair because Chris Hipkins has finally cracked the code to economic prosperity...

After six long years in government and another three sitting on his hands in Opposition, Chippy swung a hammer, posed on a lawn, and unveiled Labour’s grand brand-new campaign slogan.

You truly have to marvel at the sheer, unadulterated brass neck of him.

“Better Starts Now” sounds like something printed on the wall of a suburban Pilates studio. Better what? Better than last time they were left in charge?

We can only assume that “better” was completely unavailable the six years Hipkins was a minister and then Prime Minister. Why would things be any different if Labour get the levers of power this time round?

But behind this limp, wellness-retreat slogan lies the exact same tired old Labour playbook. They’ve laid out their fiscal strategy as well, and beneath the glossy red paint, it’s a familiar masterpiece of economic fantasy:

- They want MORE bureaucrats, MORE meddling in your business, and MORE power. They intend to jack core government spending right up to 33% of GDP. While Kiwis tighten our belts and pinch pennies, they want to borrow more against our children's futures in order to splash the cash about like its 2020-2023 and Grant Robertson is in charge.


- They are condemning responsible attempts to bring New Zealand's books under control and say revenue from theirCapital Gains Tax will cover their big spending ideas. But the math doesn't stack up. To fund a state the size they want, they’ll be coming back for your wallet, your property, and your savings.


- They need coalition partners and their only options are all demanding massive changes to the tax system that will hit Kiwi families in their wallets like a tonne of bricks. Don't just keep an eye on Labour's tax promises, look at what the hippies in suits at Opportunity Party and the fruit loops in the Greens are saying.



Labour does not have a realistic economic strategy. Their campaign thus far is a motivational fridge magnet holding up a larger tax bill.

Actually it sounds like the tagline for a high-fibre probiotic yoghurt. Which is fitting, because Labour has been politically constipated for three years and suddenly discovered the urge to move.

But real economic strength does not come from another round of empty promises they will never deliver on, or making Wellington more powerful at the expense of regional New Zealand. It comes from export wealth, resource development, strong infrastructure, and common sense leadership that stands up for the hardworking taxpayers of this country.

The pontificating policy-peddlers in Wellington seem to think you can tax, regulate, and sloganise your way to prosperity. They treat the wealth creators of this country, the farmers, the miners, the foresters, and the exporters, like convenient cash cows to be milked for every drop, while starving the regions of basic infrastructure.

We can't pay our bills by borrowing more only to come up with more poorly thought out policies that sound "good". We pay our way through primary industries, mining our minerals, utilising our energy, and backing our food producers because that is the engine room of the Kiwi economy.

It’s about steel in the ground, sealed roads, resilient rail links, and modern ports. Building the physical foundations so that goods from Northland, the Coast, and Southland can actually get to market without dropping through a pothole or getting stranded by a wash-out.

And it's taking a hard, pragmatic look at the books and standing up for the hardworking taxpayers of this country. Rewarding enterprise and sweat, rather than penalising success to fund an ever-expanding apparatus of urban consultants.

The other parties are filling their war chests. 



While those numbers only cover the large donors declared so far (the total fundraising picture won't be fully clear until later) the takeaway message is crystal clear:

We are being outspent, and we need to close the gap.

We cannot continue to fight this battle with one hand tied behind our back. When even Labour’s half-baked ideas and fluff-and-bubble slogans can pull in more cash in major donations, you know the political deck is stacked against common sense.

We don't have deep-pocketed corporate barons or mega-unions bankrolling our roadshow. We rely entirely on the muscle, heart, and grass-roots support of real Kiwis. <[link removed]> And while we know our supporters are worth their weight in gold, they usually don't have the deep pockets to drop life-changing amounts of cash all in one go.

We rely on the kind of people power that comes from ordinary New Zealanders chipping in whatever they can afford to chip in <[link removed]>. Instead of the big leaps the big parties take we have to take lots of little steps to get to our fundraising goal.

And we wouldn't have it any other way. New Zealand First is accountable to our members and New Zealanders. It just means that you have to put up with us asking you to contribute <[link removed]> to the cause every now and then!

Make a secure donation today <[link removed]> so we can go toe-to-toe with these big-spending parties and ensure our common sense ideas are put before as many New Zealanders as possible between now and 7th November.

Click here to donate $10, $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford to the NZ First 2026 Election Fund Today. <[link removed]>

Send Wellington a clear message that New Zealanders don't want fridge magnet economics. We want common sense.

“Better Starts Now"? What the hell were they doing before?

Shaking my head,

Shane Jones

New Zealand First











P.S. Promises only become reality when there is a strong New Zealand First team in Parliament to fight for them. Every advertisement, every leaflet, every public meeting and every conversation with voters is made possible by supporters like you. If you can, please make a donation today. Every dollar helps us reach more New Zealanders and gives us a stronger voice in the next Parliament. <[link removed]>









<[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]>New Zealand First · PO Box 406, Feilding 4740, New Zealand
This email was sent to [email protected] · Unsubscribe <[link removed]>

Authorised by H. Howard, 91 Makino Road, Feilding