Dear John,

It’s been a week of sobering news. The death of a worker in a corner dairy in Sandringham, Auckland, on Wednesday night was a tragedy for his family and the crime has reverberated around the community and across New Zealand. I’ve been talking a lot recently about crime and the need for consequences but, right now, I am thinking only of the devastation of a family. My heart goes out to them.

The big economic news of the week came from the Reserve Bank forecasts, which show the cost of living crisis is yet to peak, mortgage interest rates are climbing aggressively, and a year-long recession is expected.

Visiting the local Four Square in Napier with newly selected candidate Katie Nimon.

I can’t condemn more strongly Labour’s mishandling of the economy. There are global factors at work, but government spending under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Finance Minister Grant Robertson has been reckless. It has contributed to inflation being higher than it otherwise would have been and every family that’s cutting back at the supermarket or on their kids’ Christmas presents, is paying for Labour’s spending.

A National Government would competently manage the economy. We’ll bring discipline to government spending, would stop adding costs and taxes on businesses, focus the Reserve Bank on controlling inflation, provide tax relief, and change immigration settings that are keeping out the very people New Zealand needs to let in. That’s our plan to tackle inflation. If only Labour had one.

In the House under urgency this week, holding Jacinda Ardern to account for Labour's complete lack of delivery for Kiwis

Finally, this week Parliament sat for very long hours as the Government pushed through a backlog of legislation under Parliament’s “urgency” provisions. One of the more than 20 bills considered was the one that will bring in Three Waters, which most New Zealanders oppose. Led by our Local Government spokesperson and North Shore MP Simon Watts, our team fought well and hard in Parliament, and we’ll continue to oppose Three Waters every step of the way.

Watch Simon in action in the House here.

However, ultimately it will come down to numbers and the Government’s majority will prevail in voting, hence National’s promise to repeal and replace Three Waters if we become the Government next year. Our commitment is to local ownership of local assets, and no co-governance of public services.

Have a great weekend,

Christopher

PS For those of you in the Hamilton West electorate, advance voting in the by-election opens on Monday (November 28) ahead of polling day on December 10. Please encourage and assist everyone you know to get out and vote for Tama Potaka, and help us send a message to Labour that Kiwis don’t want to keep going backwards. Every vote counts! Thank you in advance for your support.