“New Zealanders watching for Labour’s vision for a wealthier, safer, more united country this weekend saw a political party enter a contest of ideas completely unarmed,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Labour’s first two policy announcements of this election campaign were to keep the superannuation age the same and to fund a programme that already exists.

“That’s not a vision. It has the depth of a sausage roll selfie.

“Despite breathless coverage of Chris vs. Chris, this election is shaping up as a contest of which major party can be more beige. ACT is here to provide some real choice for real change.

“Our health and education systems are a disaster despite spending increasing by 68 and 38 per cent, respectively. Violent crime is out of control with serious assaults resulting in injury up 121 per cent. New Zealanders feel divided by Labour’s reinterpretation of the Treaty. Productivity – the fundamental driver of higher wages – has been in the tank for years. Our biggest competitor – Australia – is luring New Zealanders across the ditch with the promise of higher wages and a passport.

“What’s Labour’s response? To attack ACT and promise to keep everything the same.

“If the other parties won’t tell the truth about the state of our country, ACT will, even when the truth is not popular. Last week, we set out a comprehensive and credible alternative vision for New Zealand, A Time for Truth.

“ACT’s alternative is filled with vision. Key initiatives include:

• Cutting wasteful spending to deliver meaningful tax cuts and a simple two-rate income tax system to promote investment, jobs and growth
• Getting red tape and bureaucracy under control so people can build homes, businesses, and prosperity
• Investing in public safety, with 500 new prison beds and putting serious youth offenders in Corrections’ custody, so people who follow the law can exercise the right to feel safe
• Making new investments in primary health care, infrastructure, defence, and education so that those vital areas of government activity play their part.

“New Zealand is in decline and the major parties are pretending a new coat of paint will fix it. But it won’t be enough to swap red Chris for blue Chris. The policy change must be real this time around.

“We’ve been poorly served by two major political parties who each say the other is ruining the country, but they could run the same ruinous policies better than the other.

“This election, New Zealanders can choose from different shades of beige, or they can have a real choice for real change.”

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