Category: Political Parties

Source: National Party – Headline: Floundering PM repeatedly misleads over fuel taxes

The Prime Minister has repeatedly misled New Zealanders by claiming the previous Government was planning a 20 cent per litre fuel tax hike, as she has tried and failed to sell her Government’s transport plans, National’s Transport spokesperson Jami-Lee Ross says.

“New Zealanders are about to be whacked by an increase of up to 25 cents a litre – or $15 every time they fill their cars. At the same time the Government is planning to gut regional roading funding so it can pump more cash into trams in Auckland.

“Motorists and communities right around New Zealand are about to be hammered at the petrol pump – yet get fewer new roads – and the Prime Minister’s justification amounts to ‘Well the previous Government was going to charge 20 cents a litre more too’.

“Well that’s bogus.

“The previous Government had committed to new roads right around New Zealand because the National Party understands how important they are to our regions. But while officials had recommended an increase to pay for some of them, we rejected that advice and committed to the projects under existing funding allocations.

“We were very clear on that during the election – the same one where the Prime Minister also promised no new taxes.

“The Prime Minister has also pointed to a 17 cent per litre rise in fuel prices under the previous National Government as justification for her raid on the back pockets of hardworking New Zealanders. That was over nine years.

“Well just six months in she’s announced a hike of up to 25 cents. That includes the proposed new nationwide fuel tax increase and the upcoming Auckland regional fuel tax which could be rolled out to the rest of New Zealand in three years.

“This is just the start and it’s a bad one. The Government needs to stop treating motorists like an ATM and it needs to deliver for our regions.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Regional NZ to lose billions in roading investment

The Government has today confirmed that it plans to gut regional roading projects to pay for trams in Auckland, and to charge regional motorists more to do so, National’s Transport spokesperson Jami-Lee Ross says.

“Today’s announcement will be met with anger and disappointment right around New Zealand, with the Government confirming it will cut around $5 billion out of the state highway construction programme over the next 10 years.

“That means roads which would have improved safety, created jobs, boosted regional economic growth and better connected our regional farmers and producers to our major centres will be axed.

“This is an extraordinary blow for regional New Zealand, from a Government which has claimed to stand behind it. Instead, the Government is saying their needs are secondary and ensuring tourists can get from the Auckland CBD to the airport is more pressing.

“Motorists right around New Zealand will also be shocked at the extraordinary new taxes the Government plans to impose on them.

“Aucklanders could actually find themselves paying as much as 25 cents a litre extra for their fuel within three years – once the proposed annual fuel excise and proposed regional fuel tax are taken into account.

“That means they will pay an extra $10 to $15 every time they fill up – and in less than three years the rest of New Zealand could be paying that fuel tax too, under legislation the Government introduced last week.

“That this Government will continue the previous Government’s commitment to road safety is to be applauded, but it is undermining that by axing the construction of New Zealand’s safest and busiest roads – the Roads of National Significance.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Progress for pay equity blocked by Government

Progress towards closing the gender pay gap has once again been delayed after the Government refused to support Denise Lee’s private Members’ Bill on pay equity during its first reading debate in Parliament last night.

“By voting against my Members’ Bill, the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill, the coalition Government is telling women in New Zealand that pay equity is not a priority on their agenda. It also delays giving women the ability to lodge pay equity claims by months, if not years,” Ms Lee says.

“The Government has opposed every step to supporting women to achieve pay equity for the past nine months, but in that time, they have not put forward a single alternative proposal.

“It is beyond belief that this Government would claim to recognise the urgency of this issue but block its progress at every opportunity.

“Given this most recent obstruction, they have an obligation to the women of New Zealand to at least produce a timeline of when they plan to introduce their own legislation – women deserve to know when they will be recognised for their true value.

“The argument that we should wait for them to introduce ‘better’ legislation simply does not stack up.

“They have the numbers to make improvements or amend this Bill as they see fit. Why should women be forced to wait before the Government can introduce their own version of what I expect will be a very similar bill.

“The hard work has already been done in preparing this bill, but this Government wants to go back to the drawing board for political point-scoring.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Electoral Bill conflicts with Parliamentary Privilege Act

The Government’s Electoral Integrity Bill which would enable party leaders to dismiss an MP if the leader believes the MP distorts the proportionality of Parliament has hit further problems by clashing with the Parliamentary Privilege Act 2014, National Party spokesperson for Electoral Law Dr Nick Smith says.

“This flagship policy from the Ardern-Peters Government has hit the rocks by clashing with the Bill of Rights and is now taking on water because it also conflicts with the Parliamentary Privilege Act,” Dr Smith says.

“The Government has come under significant pressure and criticism on this draconian electoral Bill and the Justice Minister needs to pull this Bill before it sinks.

“The Government’s electoral Bill enables a party leader to dismiss an MP when the leader reasonably believes that proportionality of Parliament had been distorted.

“However, the only check on this broad ranging power given to party leaders is the courts, yet this power has been hamstrung by the Parliamentary Privilege Act which prohibits the courts from questioning or inquiring into voting records, debates or the proceedings of Parliament.

“The Bill has already been dammed by over twenty legal and political academics for breaching the Bill of Rights in respect of freedom of speech and freedom of association.

“Even the Attorney-General has admitted the Bill will have ‘a chilling effect on an MP’s freedom to express themselves inside and outside the House’.

“This Bill contradicts New Zealand’s democratic traditions of respect for free speech, the separation of powers from the courts and tolerance of dissent.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Councils are in the dark over roading projects

Councils around the country have been left on a road to nowhere while the Government delays providing important details on national land transport funding for the next three years, National’s Local Government spokesperson Jacqui Dean says.

“Local authorities are currently in the process of finalising their ten-year plans, but with key roading expenditure details in the Government’s National Land Transport Programme still a couple of months away, councils are working in the dark.

“This is a major slip-up from central government and shows just how little regard they have for councils in the regions, with their main focus being on Auckland and its roading issues.

“Central government should be working in partnership with local government to safeguard economic growth and development in the regions, and yet we can see where the loyalties lie for the Ardern-Peters leadership.

“Roading expenditure is one of the core functions of local authorities. They need certainty from Government now in order to set their rates and make vital decisions on future roading projects, they do not deserve to be left in the dark.

“It is unacceptable to take roading funding from the regions in favour of Auckland, while the Government leaves 78 local authorities to make significant decisions without the information they vitally need.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Govt urged to support Windblown Timber Recovery Bill

National Party List MP Maureen Pugh, has today urged the Government to support her Private Members’ Bill which would enable the harvesting of windblown trees on conservation land following adverse weather events.

“Today I moved a motion in Parliament, seeking support from Government MPs to have my bill adopted and set down for first reading next week. My bill would allow the Director General of DOC to authorise the removal of specified windblown trees on Conservation Land following a significant weather event,” Ms Pugh says. 

“This a practical bill which embraces environmental responsibility and supports regional economic development.”

The proposed Adverse Weather Timber Recovery on Conservation Lands Bill follows on from the legislation implemented following tropical Cyclone Ita in 2014, which saw a number of native forests in the West Coast and Tasman severely impacted.

“This 2014 legislation was supported right through the process by local MP Damien O’Connor and his Labour colleague Rino Tirikatene. These two MPs saw the need for this legislation at the time, but it is disappointing the Government didn’t take a similar pragmatic approach today when they denied my motion to introduce the bill.

“Removing and processing these windblown trees which would otherwise lie decomposing on the West Coast forest floor would provide jobs for region along with clearing space for native regeneration – two areas which NZ First claims to be passionate about. 

“Recent Cyclones Gita and Fehi have made this bill necessary, as large quantities of trees were felled. We need to be prepared by implementing legislation to deal with significant events like this in the future.”

Source: National Party – Headline: Shane Jones rolled on regional roads

Shane Jones has been rolled by Labour and the Greens on transport policy and as a result regional New Zealand will miss out on much needed roading developments, National Party Regional Development Spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“Regional New Zealanders are being told to suck up a big increase in fuel taxes, coupled with a big decrease in regional highway investment, all to help pay for new trams in Auckland,” Mr Goldsmith says. “How did Shane Jones let this happen?

“Mr Jones cynically pointed to an increase in the regional roading improvements fund as a boost to the regions. Nobody will fall for that. 

“The increase amounts to around $35 million a year to local roads, a drop in the bucket compared with the $5 billion being taken away from state highways.

Mr Goldsmith says that the previous Government’s plans to upgrade key provincial highways were critical to improving regional development and road safety on main arterials.

“Transport Minister Phil Twyford dismisses those projects as white elephants and about ‘provincial cities’ not regional New Zealand.

“Shane Jones should point out to him that cities like Whangarei, Tauranga and Napier/Hastings are very much in regional New Zealand. He should take Twyford to places like Katitkati, Whangarei, Levin and Tokoroa and tell them their roading projects are white elephants.

“The Green Party was yesterday trumpeting the transport policy as a big win for them and no wonder. The transport policy renders the Government’s regional economic development policy totally incoherent.

“The reality is Shane Jones has been completely dealt to by the Greens. New Zealand First’s claim to support regional New Zealand has been exposed as a sham.”