Now, more than ever, it’s important to be kind. Even if we can’t meet up, we can remember to give our friends and whānau a call, or try to arrange a virtual coffee catch up, church meeting, or hui. If you are having a particularly hard time, or if you know someone who is, you can call or text 1737 at any time for free to speak with a trained counsellor. There are also plenty of resources online at covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing
Read MoreThe last few weeks have a felt a little like 2020 again with country forced into a lockdown. It will have been a very unsettling and uncertain time for many of you, especially those in Auckland still dealing with the outbreak of Delta.
Read MoreYou’ll remember the golden rules from last year: stay home, stick to your bubble, and get tested if you have COVID symptoms. Now, with the Delta variant in the community, there are a few extra things we need to do to keep COVID at bay. As part of the team of five million, we all have a role to play in this.
Read MoreThe ACT Party has been consistent in calling this Government to be more open and transparent about the numbers of people who have been traced and tested, and what numbers it basis its decision to lockdown our country. When it makes these big decisions that affect our lives, we should know what they’re being based on.
Read MoreNot too long ago the Prime Minister was apologising for the 1970s Dawn Raids with a number of her ministers in attendance. At the same time, the Government chose to completely ignore the struggles being faced by the migrants and refugees of today.
Read MoreThe government has also changed the eligibility dates for those who have not yet had a first vaccination. If you are over 50 you are now able to book your appointment and we are opening bookings for people 40 and over this Wednesday, and 30 and over from next Wednesday. From the start of September everyone else will be able to book a free vaccination appointment.
Read MoreBy turning a blind eye to this huge issue the Government is effectively forcing our skilled migrants to leave the country. At the same time it’s trying to find limited space in Managed Isolation and Quarantine for other foreign workers to replace them.
Read More"We only have a little more than two years. It's an election that National can easily win if it concentrates on issues that important to New Zealanders." Collins spoke at a series of regional conventions in the run-up to the AGM this weekend, accusing the government of sneaking in a "separatist" agenda. The party has launched a new campaign, "Demand the Debate," to draw attention to the He Puapua report on alleged "secret “efforts to change New Zealand's name to Aotearoa.
Read MoreSeymour has been out and about the country with his honest conversation meetups, where last week on Saturday in Eastview Baptist Church, Botany, David with ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden and ACT MP Damien Smith had some hour-long honest conversation with people of Indian origin.
Read MoreNew Zealand is in the midst of a serious housing crisis. It’s not just first-home buyers struggling to get a foot on the ladder, but even those renting are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.
Read MoreOne area I have been working in is trying to improve the experience people have when they live in apartments. Apartment living and terraced housing is the most affordable option if we want to live close. It is great for the environment, because people don’t travel to go to school and work. It is great for our city centres, because it makes them alive. I want a lot more people to live in Auckland City, including our families. That means this kind of housing needs to be a safe and secure investment. Having clear and effective law that ordinary people can understand and apply is really important to that end.
Read MoreMany Kiwis of Indian origin who I have met in the past few weeks as part of ACT’s Honest Conversations tour feel that this Labour Government is punishing them while rewarding other people for doing nothing.
Read MoreIt’s become clear that the Government doesn’t see the seriousness of New Zealand’s gang problem.
Read MoreWe’re past the halfway point in the year now, our second calendar year in the midst of a global pandemic. Even though life carries on with levels of normality in New Zealand, events across Australia and around the world have been a good reminder that we are not out of the woods yet with COVID.
Read MoreAs part of our engagement with communities across New Zealand ACT MPs are engaging with New Zealanders in honest conversations. We hope you will take time to attend the Auckland public meetings on 07 August in Botany and 04 September in Mt Roskill.
Read More“The Government should practice some of its long-promised openness and transparency by letting the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee scrutinise Treasury and the Reserve Bank’s house price forecasts,” says ACT Associate Finance Spokesperson Damien Smith.
Read MoreMany countries around the world are still reporting surges of new COVID cases, and it’s clear that we’re going to be living with the impact of this pandemic for some time.
Read MoreIncreased penalties for hate speech have also been proposed, with the maximum fine to go from $7000 to $50,000, and the maximum length of imprisonment from three months to three years.
Three years in prison for hate speech is longer than the punishment for assaulting a child.
Read MoreThe Minister of Immigration’s recent mixed messaging has only been causing more stress and uncertainty for the migrants here in New Zealand. His ‘immigration reset’ speech last month sent a clear message to the world that migrants are not welcome in New Zealand. It signalled that the Government only wants wealthy, highly-skilled migrants to come here, and failed to understand the needs of business who don’t have New Zealanders available to fill their labour needs.
Read MoreStatistics New Zealand recently reported their findings which told us that a quarter of New Zealand's population could be Asian in 20 years' time. This gave statistical evidence of what we see around us daily -the changing face of New Zealand. In response to these findings by a respected agency -the government of the day, hopelessly out of touch with reality and clearly unwelcoming of migrants went ahead and cancelled a bill that would have required all primary and intermediate schools to offer second language tuition from among 10 priority languages.
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