Category: ACT Party

Source: ACT Party

“The move to reduce the eligibility age for free bowel cancer screening to 58 is ‘need, not race’ in action, and will save lives,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“ACT campaigned against targeting services based on race, because this practice was unfair, inefficient, and led to perverse outcomes.

“Bowel cancer screening was a classic example. In 2022, Labour set a lower eligibility age for Māori/Pacific people accessing the National Bowel Screening Programme.

“However, bowel cancer does not discriminate on race. Māori and Pacific peoples have a similar risk of developing bowel cancer compared to other population groups at a given age.

“It was true that a higher proportion of bowel cancers occur in Māori and Pacific peoples at a younger age, but that is because the overall demographics of those groups are younger. It has always been age that determines bowel cancer risk, not race.

“Today, the Government has repurposed Labour’s funding to deliver an eligibility age of 58 for all population groups, down from the previous default of 60.

“This is ‘need, not race’ in action. ACT campaigned on it, we secured it in our coalition agreement, the Minister of Health pushed officials, and the result was (after having to go overseas for the advice) that we can have good things and deliver wider health benefits to all New Zealanders.

“It shows, when you use real science and real statistics you don’t have to be racist. The previous government got the science and statistics wrong, and practiced racism. We abhor racial discrimination and we’re proud to be part of seeing the back of it.”

Source: ACT Party

“Regulatory bodies in the health sector are using the Treaty to justify putting ideology ahead of patient wellbeing and validated science,” says ACT Health spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

Pharmacy:

“ACT has been approached by pharmacists alarmed by the Pharmacy Council’s new competence standards which require frontline pharmacists to give effect to Te Tiriti at all levels, prioritise Māori voices, be familiar with Māori health models and be ‘confident to perform waiata tautoko’ (Māori songs).

“All of these unscientific requirements will only serve to distract from the best interests of individual patients, while making it harder for New Zealand to attract and retain talent from overseas.

“The good news is that the Minister responsible for Pharmac is David Seymour. David is now actively recruiting for free-thinking new members of the Pharmacy Council.”

Midwifery:

The Midwifery Council’s competency standards embed ‘the principles of self-determination, equity, and partnership as a foundation of midwifery practice’. Midwives are told to ‘strive to mitigate systemic discrimination and prejudices’. They are told to ‘value diversity of knowledge and perspectives of physiological processes’.

“The responsibility of a midwife should be to the best interests of the mother and their baby – not to Treaty ideology or non-scientific ideas about pregnancy,” says Mr Stephenson. “A Treaty focus in midwifery inevitably detracts from a midwife’s core duties, while also making it harder to attract and train wonderful midwives from overseas.

“I understand Health Minister Simeon Brown has put out a call for nominations for new members of the Midwifery Council. That is good news.”

Psychology:

“Meanwhile in psychology, the New Zealand Psychologists’ Board is introducing a new Code of Ethics to embed Treaty principles and matauranga Māori into psychological practice. Psychologists who’ve tried to have a say on the Code have been sidelined. Psychologists are instructed to challenge colonisation and respond to patients’ colour, race, sexuality, and socio-economic status. 

“In other words, the best interests of patients will be sidelined in favour of ideology, and psychologists are told to see patients as members of identity groups, rather than as individuals with complex personal experiences.”

Nursing:

“Nurses have told me they are considering leaving New Zealand in response to new standards of competence, or ‘pou’, requiring nurses to use te reo and tikanga, describe the impact of colonisation, and advocate for cultural and spiritual health.

“Once upon a time, being a nurse was a matter of having the right skills and a kind heart. Now we are asking nurses to have the ‘correct’ views on the Treaty of Waitangi and to make assumptions about patients’ needs based on their ethnicity.”

Chinese medicine:

“In 2021 Labour set up the Chinese Medicine Council to regulate traditional Chinese medicine. The Council requires Chinese practitioners to honour the history of Māori as tangata whenua, challenge the bias of their colleagues, enact the principles of Te Tiriti, and embed ‘bicultural principles’.

“Bicultural principles! It begs the question, which two cultures are recognised under this state-mandated bicultural worldview? How are Chinese acupuncturists and herbalists meant to fit in? It’s absurd.”

Conclusion:

“Kiwis engaging with the health system deserve confidence that they will be treated first and foremost as humans, with individual needs that will be met based on validated science, not ideology.

“ACT is optimistic that in Simeon Brown, we have a Minister with the guts to get the Treaty ideology and wokeism out of the health system and restore focus to the needs of the patient.

“In the meantime, ACT is calling on political parties who share our concerns to support the Treaty Principles Bill. The Bill defines the Treaty principles in line with what was actually written in 1840, including the promise of the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders.”

Source: ACT Party

The Haps

Parliament didn’t sit last week, so your property was safe. ACT’s MPs were out, including at the Northland Field Days, Auckland’s Round the Bays, and holding public meetings as far south as Invercargill. This Thursday David Seymour and Todd Stephenson are holding a public meeting in Queenstown, details here, and on Friday Simon Court is in Hokitika, details here.

The Week the World Changed

Lots changed last week, or at least long-telegraphed changes were spelled out more in neon lights than dots and dashes. New Zealand’s insularity is famous, if there was a nuclear war in Europe the Herald would still lead with Auckland property prices, or whether the All Blacks will be free-to-air.

Insularity is all fine, most of the world is a hellhole most of the time anyway. But insularity can’t protect us from all hells, and some of them have got closer in the last week.

The protection we’ve had from the seas and friendly navies is ebbing away, even though we’ve relied on it since humans arrived here.

Part I: Nobody else could get here.

Part II: Only the British could get here.

Part III: Only the Americans could get here.

Depending on your perspective, the British part might be a mixed blessing, but on the whole we’ve built one of the most successful societies in history with little care for our security.

If that changes, we’re going to have very different things to think and worry about. We’ll have to think about confronting others who want to dominate and perhaps kill us for the first time in generations. Even the Herald will need to sharpen up.

The Trump-Zelensky-Vance conflagration was extraordinary. Trump is elected and the U.S. is a sovereign nation. They can act however they like, so we’re not passing judgement. We’re just trying to think through what it means for our sovereign nation. We don’t think there’s enough public debate about this to be ready for the world we’re entering.

After World War I the U.S. went isolationist, when World War II began the German Army was ten times larger than theirs. By the time they had U-Boats off the Eastern seaboard and planes bombing Hawaii, they were arming up again.

After World War II they decided to keep policing the world. It led to an extraordinary period of peace and prosperity (maybe it will be known as the second Elizabethan era, after QEII). Now the Americans are out of that game again. The Oval Office conflagration was perhaps just the neon-lit spelling out of something that’s been coming a long time.

Add that together with the Chinese ‘taskforce’ of three ships (and one sub?). It was not extraordinary, it just hasn’t happened here for a couple of generations. Ships that could easily rain down munitions on New Zealand cities, with there being little we can do about it, is a new thing to living New Zealanders. Perhaps nuclear-powered American ships weren’t that bad after all?

The Cook Islands appear to be shifting their allegiance or at least trying to eat their cake and have it, too. Their comprehensive strategic partnership with the Chinese Government appears to open the Cooks up to Chinese investment and development, as well as resource extraction. It might allow a workforce of Chinese nationals in the Cooks that would give the Chinese Government reason to ‘protect’ them. That would be a crisis.

From a defence and security point of view, the Cook’s gambit is a stationary version of the ships. The Chinese Government is asserting that the South Pacific is in their sphere of influence, and that’s a different proposition from the democratic British or Americans doing it.

It all adds up to our country needing to change footing. Muldoon once said ‘New Zealanders will never vote on foreign affairs.’ We’ve been shielded, but as our shields ebb away, we will need to change our stance.

A lot of questions become much clearer.

Could we afford to ban oil and gas exploration?

Could we afford to shut the country down for an extravagantly long time over COVID?

Could we afford to create a binary state based on a false interpretation of the Treaty?

The answer was always no, but now there is another reason why.

The New Zealand project needs to sort its internal problems with a lot more maturity, so we can face up to external ones. Another reason why we cannot afford a Labour-Green-Te Pāti Māori fiasco, and why ACT must keep the alternative Government bold.

Source: ACT Party

Responding to principals calling for an end to new online NCEA tests due to low pass rates, ACT Education spokesperson Laura McClure says:

“We’ve tested literacy and numeracy and discovered big problems. A normal response would be to look at how our schools are equipping kids with these basic skills. Instead, we’ve got principals wanting to hide from reality and ditch the tests that expose the problem.

“What kind of leadership are kids getting when the message from their principals is, ‘this is too hard for you and we need to make the test easier‘?

“As a country we cannot afford to lower expectations and create a workforce defined by mediocrity. We must aim higher and empower every student to reach their potential.

“NCEA exists to offer real knowledge and skills, and set real standards – not to give qualifications to everyone. Testing against real standards makes the system accountable.

“We need to lift our aspirations and ensure school leavers have basic competencies – such as being able to understand the employment contracts they’re signing.”

Source: ACT Party

ACT Leader David Seymour is welcoming the announcement that legislation enabling a four-year Parliamentary term will advance to select committee.

The legislation is modelled on a draft Bill produced by ACT, and a commitment to advance it to select committee was secured in ACT’s coalition agreement.

“Improving our approach to law making is how we secure more economic growth, better social services, better regulation, and ultimately give the next generation more reason to stay here,” says Seymour.

“A four-year term will lead to more accountability and better law making, giving Kiwis more time to see whether political promises translate into results, so they can vote accordingly.

“Polling shows more Kiwis support the four-year term than oppose it.

“It’s important to point out that ACT’s proposal ensures the term can only be extended if the Government turns control of Select Committees over to the Opposition. This introduces balance by giving the Opposition more power to scrutinise and question Ministers, officials, and legislation.

“ACT’s proposal means such a significant constitutional change will only come into effect with the consent of New Zealanders. If the legislation is supported by Parliament, it will then be subject to a public referendum.

“I’m proud that ACT has started another tough conversation. We look forward to Kiwis having their say at select committee. Ultimately, we’re trying to achieve better law making a more mature democracy. That’s worth a constructive debate.”

Source: ACT Party

The Haps

The Chinese navy has made a big mistake. Sending what Defence Minister Judith Collins called a ‘formidable ship’ so close to Sydney, and interrupting Air New Zealand domestic flights, shows the New Zealand public we need to spend more on defence. ACT supporters have been alone in voting for two per cent of GDP on defence, we predict there will now be more.

We remember the Ukrainians who’ve lost their lives and their homes in the three years since the Russian invasion. Free Press remains resolute. There are basic facts that cannot be changed. Russia is the aggressor. The war is not just or legal. The breach of borders by force is dangerous to free people everywhere. We must never accept might is right, but we must build our strength so the world doesn’t end up that way.

The Most Important Fact Schools Don’t Teach

Schools are teaching children all sorts of things, but so far as we are aware they are not teaching the most important fact of human life. The fact they’re not teaching this fact tells us how mindless education has become, and it limits children’s thinking.

The fact we’re talking about is the astonishing growth of human life expectancy in the last two centuries. For 100,000 years, people lived to thirty on average. Now, the global average is 72 years.

People have different ideas about what a good life is. But (except for a few terrorists and cults), everyone agrees being alive is better than being dead. Something in the last 200 years gave us a whole extra life.

If the education system teaches children nothing else, it should teach that something happened in the last 200 years and it doubled life expectancy. Once they know that, they can learn what works.

We think the answer might be the problem. The education bureaucracy, academics, and teacher unions don’t want to teach that capitalism is a raging success.

They’d have to teach about the genesis of the free market in the swamps of the Netherlands. People driven to the lowlands by violence decided to make something of themselves. They drained swamps and built dykes, creating usable land that was theirs.

The result was a society where ordinary people could make a difference in their own lives. They demanded property rights because they’d literally created their own property. If you couldn’t take then you had to trade, and tribalism gave way to the market. It was around this time Abel Tasman discovered New Zealand for Europe.

William of Orange, a Dutchman who became King of England, helped take the revolution across the sea, where it germinated on an island buffered from invasion. The common law and the market, along with the enlightenment made the industrial revolution possible.

In turn the British Navy opened up the world’s sea lanes to trade, and spread their system of democracy and capitalism to the new world, ensuring it would endure for centuries even when they themselves came under attack from fascism.

All the while ordinary people could get enough calories to be healthy, live in cities with sanitation free of disease, and medical care would stop children and their mothers dying in childbirth or shortly after. Violence that was normal for most humans most of the time, and shortened many lives, is now an exceptional event for most people most of the time.

The revolution spread further after the Cold War, lifting billions from poverty in the East the same way they had thrived in the west. That same prosperity has raised their life expectancy too. Now the whole world lives twice as long on average as it did before the industrial revolution, but your teacher won’t dwell on that basic fact in most of the world’s schools.

Instead we have an epidemic of anxiety and depression amongst young people. The tremendous gains of the last two centuries are barely understood. Instead the gains are banked and forgotten while children worry about comparatively small problems.

We spend a lot of time worrying about differences between people living today when, in reality, everyone is doing vastly better than everyone was even a few generations ago. So much division, so little reality, and not enough hope.

Imagine if the most important thing children learned was that we’ve doubled our lives in 200 years after 100,000 years of misery. That could be springboard for asking what works and building a much more hopeful future. We just need the Left to make peace with capitalism.

Source: ACT Party

“Chinese war ships engaging in live fire in the Tasman Sea ought to be a wake-up call for our investment priorities,” says ACT Defence spokesperson Mark Cameron.

“We have been taking the so-called benign strategic environment for granted, but the rule of history is that big fish eat the little fish. New Zealand needs to wake up, get together with its mates, and up our defensive capability – fast.

“Lifting investment in Defence is a matter of security, but also of prosperity. Our fisheries, sea mining, trade routes, and Exclusive Economic Zone hold untold economic value, and any serious strategy to grow the economy will rely on our continued control of these assets.

“Prior to the election, ACT campaigned on increasing defence spending to 1.5% of GDP, or $4.35 billion over four years, with a long-term target of reaching 2% by 2030.

“Australia’s defence spending has already surged above 2%, heading to 2.4% by the end of the decade. We need to do our part and work with our friends to effectively direct our investment, so that we can be taken seriously as an ally worth defending.

“Crucially, ACT is open to debate around tough trade-offs in spending and investment to make a Defence boost possible.

“This morning, the New Zealand Initiative released a report valuing the government’s existing assets at $571 billion. It raises some interesting questions. Does it make more sense for the government to own a television station, or a P8 Poseidon? Should we keep a 51% share in a power company, or get our hands on some more frigates?

“ACT would argue it’s time to pull money out of the nice-to-haves, and invest in the men and women who protect our livelihoods.”

Source: ACT Party

In response to the draw of the Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment (Duty to Provide) Amendment Bill from Parliament’s ballot:

“When I first raised the problem of climate ideology in banking, it was an issue only grumbled about across the farm fence. Now it’s a mainstream concern, challenged in New Zealand’s highest chambers of power,” says ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron, who is also leading a select committee inquiry into rural banking practices.

“The ACT team will be looking at the detail of this bill before forming a position.

“In the meantime, ACT will continue to make the case for tackling woke banking practices at the cause. That includes the Net Zero Banking Alliance, which major banks in the United States, Canada, and Australia are rightly fleeing. We’ve also challenged the stupid climate commitments placed on banks by the Financial Markets Authority.”

Source: ACT Party

Responding to the draw of the Financial Markets (Conduct of Institutions) Amendment (Duty to Provide) Amendment Bill:

“Finally, the House of Representatives will have a chance to debate the wokery in the banking sector that has seen farmers and other unfashionable sectors treated like second-class borrowers,” says ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron, who is also leading an inquiry into rural banking practices.

“The ACT team will be looking at the detail of this bill. We’ll continue to make the case for tackling woke banking practices at its cause. That includes the Net Zero Banking Alliance, which major banks in the United States, Canada, and Australia are rightly fleeing. We’ve also challenged the stupid climate commitments placed on banks by the Financial Markets Authority.

“In the meantime, I’m celebrating the fact that these issues, once only discussed with frustration across the farm fence, are now being addressed in New Zealand’s highest chambers of power.”

Source: ACT Party

The Government must keep cutting to keep the interest rate relief coming, says ACT Leader David Seymour in response to a 0.5 point cut in the Official Cash Rate.

“Households who’ve done it tough through a cost-of-living crisis are seeing their sacrifices pay off. Today’s good news can be credited in part to New Zealanders’ financial discipline, which has eased inflation and made mortgage relief possible,” says Seymour.

“The Government has been doing its part too, reining in Labour’s spending commitments. But we need to do more. The households paying the bills deserve a government that’s as disciplined as they are.

“We can’t expect to coast our way to ongoing interest rate cuts. We need persistent action from Wellington to keep cutting the waste, and ACT is continuously putting ideas forward.

“Less waste and lower interest rates means firms, farms, and families can keep more of their own money, to spend and invest on their own priorities. That is how we achieve real prosperity and economic growth.”