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Dear John, This week inflation data came out at 7.2% for the year – far worse than expected and Kiwis are going to pay for it, not only through higher prices, but also through higher interest rates on their mortgages. The implications of rapidly rising interest rates for any family refixing a large mortgage, or wanting to buy a house, are obvious. This was brought home to me recently when I had the privilege to sit in on a budgeting session with a family who were caught with a higher interest rate when refixing their mortgage and then facing a mortgagee sale of the family home. National has a 5 Point Inflation Fighting Plan which you can check out here. The bottom line is inflation is out of control and the Labour Government doesn’t have a plan to tackle it. It’s causing real hurt and suffering for people. In the House this week, Finance Minister Grant Robertson had the audacity to say how well the economy was going. He should talk to some of the people I’ve been talking to at budgeting services, foodbanks and social housing providers. Spring is A&P show season and on Saturday I was at AgFest in Greymouth, and yesterday I was at the Hawke's Bay A&P Show in Hastings. Farmers and growers are positive people, and always looking forward, but this Labour Government has, frankly, treated farmers as villains. We need to change our mindset in this country so we back our farmers as the world’s best, like we back the All Blacks!
The impact of Labour's agricultural emissions scheme on the rural community is just the latest of lots of new regulations and red tape being imposed on farmers. I often describe this tidal wave of regulation as like farmers being served 15 tennis balls at the same time which means they can’t hit any. National backs farmers and will listen and work with the sector rather than impose top-down decisions from Wellington. The resignation of former Labour MP Gaurav Sharma has triggered a by-election in Hamilton West on December 10. Hamilton West is a bellwether electorate, which is almost always held by the largest party in Parliament. It will be a massive challenge to win it, as Labour has a big majority in Hamilton West which is even larger than it has in the Labour strongholds of Napier and West Coast-Tasman. National will fight hard for every vote. Like the rest of the country, the people of Hamilton West are going backwards under Labour – an out of control cost of living crisis, a health system falling apart, declining educational attendance and achievement, and rapidly rising crime. They need a National MP like New Zealand needs a National Government. National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis gave a fantastic lecture at Victoria University in Wellington on Wednesday, outlining National’s commitment to the social investment approach – essentially using an in-depth analysis of data to guide long-term investment for better social outcomes. You can read her speech on our website. Enjoy your long weekend, |
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