Everywhere around New Zealand, people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Food prices are soaring, rents are soaring, and even going to the family doctor is getting near to $100 a visit. The cost of living, things like paying your rent or power bill, getting your prescriptions filled, doing the grocery shopping or catching the bus have all gone up since National became government.
And things are getting worse. Our young people can’t get jobs, so they’re off to Australia. That’s because they can’t see a future for themselves or their families here. Around 47,000 people left for Australia in the last year, that’s about the same number of people living in Whanganui.
Homelessness is on the rise because the Government stopped building public homes and made it harder to access emergency housing. In just two years under Christopher Luxon, New Zealand has gone from having 71 construction companies building around 3500 public homes to just 28 companies building less than 500 homes. More and more people are being forced to live on the street, in tents and cars because of his decisions.
Let’s look at our health system, which we all rely on to be there when we need it. National has taken the scalpel to it; they even cut toast and tea for mums who had just given birth. Who knows what they’ll cut next.
With this government you’re on your own. They’re out of touch with what life is like for the rest of us, just trying to pay our bills.
That’s not the New Zealand we know. The New Zealand we know has a fair economy with secure, well-paying jobs, healthcare you can rely on, and a warm home you can afford with a great school down the road; a New Zealand where everyone can afford the basics in their shopping trolley.
In short: jobs, health, homes, and real action on the cost of living. We’re working on solutions every day to address the challenges people face.
My colleagues and I are putting in the work right now: building a plan for good jobs, better healthcare, affordable homes, and real action on the cost of living. We know this is what matters to New Zealanders and that’s exactly what we’re focused on.
