Dear John,

Like you, National is focused on the cost-of-living crisis.

We’ll deal with it so you stop going backwards.

That's why today I announced National’s FamilyBoost childcare tax rebate, which will help 130,000 families bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis with up to $75 a week.

It means that, for example, a teacher and a plumber earning $135,000 between them, who are spending $300 a week on childcare, would receive a weekly rebate of $75, paid fortnightly into their bank account.

I’m particularly concerned for young families because I know parents are having sleepless nights worrying about the impact of increasing interest rates on their mortgage, or stretching their household budgets to cover the rent.

With childcare in New Zealand already among the most expensive in the developed world, some families are having to make difficult decisions just to hang on to their homes.

It shouldn’t be this hard.

We’ll make childcare cheaper for low-and middle-income families by re-directing Labour’s wasteful spending on contractors and consultants.

Things like: Auckland light rail at $53m, a failed Auckland bike bridge at $51m, TVNZ/RNZ merger at $10m, Three Waters at $26m.

To read more about it, have a look at National’s policy priorities webpage.

As I told an audience in Auckland today, in 2018, Chris Hipkins as State Services Minister promised to reduce spending on contractors and consultants. Instead, the latest data shows the annual spend has skyrocketed to more than $1.7 billion – up from $1.2 billion.

National will direct public sector agencies to end the culture of relying on contractors at a premium to do the regular job of a public servant . The culture of public servants rebranding as contractors – only to do the same job at twice the hourly rate – is chronic in Wellington. Labour has created a gravy train for consultants and under National, this gravy train will stop at the station.

National will help New Zealanders get ahead.

All the best,
Christopher

PS. You can watch the full speech I gave today, here.