National marks its second anniversary in Government today and is proudly looking back on two years of hard work fixing the basics in the economy, law and order, education, health and infrastructure.
“Under the previous Government, the basic things that Kiwis care about had gone in the wrong direction,” National Leader Christopher Luxon says.
“The economy was damaged with inflation at a record high and sky-high mortgage repayments. Ram raids were a daily occurrence, and school kids’ achievement was plummeting.
“We said our Government would fix these basics to get New Zealand back on track. We knew we couldn’t fix them overnight but now we’re seeing real progress.
“It’s been two years of hard work – not just from our Government, but from businesses large and small, and every New Zealander.
“By stopping wasteful government spending, inflation has fallen more than half what it was under Labour, and interest rates have been cut nine times.
“The result is that someone re-fixing an average mortgage today could expect to save around $10,000 a year, compared to the end of 2023.
“We’ve also attracted a record number of tourists from Australia, boosting businesses around New Zealand, and in the last year exports have grown by almost $1 billion, which means more Kiwi farmers and businesses selling more products around the world.
“We’re also making good progress on restoring law and order. Cracking down on gangs, increasing Police foot patrols, giving Police more powers and tougher sentences for criminals has resulted in 38,000 fewer victims of violent crime, a 16 per cent reduction in youth offending and an 85 per cent decrease in ram raids.
“In education, we have banned cellphones in classrooms, mandated an hour each of reading, writing and maths every day, and introduced a structured approach to literacy and numeracy.
“In just two years, the number of new entrants achieving at the expected level has gone from a dismal 36 per cent to 58 per cent, and the number of students exceeding expectations has doubled.
“We’re hiring more doctors and nurses, delivering more operations and cancer treatments, upgrading Dunedin and Nelson hospitals and building a new Waikato Medical School so Kiwis can get timely quality healthcare.
“We’re making it easier for Kiwis to farm, build and grow businesses. We’ve removed regulations for farmers so they can get on with farming, cut the red tape hindering house builds and backyard projects, and fast-tracked several large-scale projects New Zealand needs for the future from housing to renewable energy.
“We’re also building safe reliable transport routes with 17 Roads of National Significance and 12 Roads of Regional Significance
“National’s plan to fix the basics and build the future is beginning to deliver for Kiwis. Our plan will secure a better and brighter future for New Zealand and for generations to come.”