With less than four weeks until Election Day, the campaign is in full swing.
Over the past few months, I personally have door-knocked more than 3,000 households and spoken with around 5,000 voters across the Banks Peninsula electorate. Together with my hardworking National Party team, we've been out meeting people, listening to their concerns, and sharing National's vision for New Zealand, a vision built on a strong economy, responsible financial management, and creating opportunities for every individual, family, and business to succeed.
National has also recently announced Electrify NZ 2.0, our nine-point plan to deliver more affordable energy and strengthen New Zealand's energy security.
Affordable and reliable energy is critical for growing our economy and helping families manage the cost of living. National's plan focuses on addressing the underlying costs that drive power prices while ensuring New Zealand has the energy infrastructure needed for the future.
National will not attempt to buy votes with taxpayers' own money. Labour's so-called "free" policies come at a cost and are estimated to leave households paying an average of $2,263 more each year.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's economy is growing faster than Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, and Japan. More than 220,000 new jobs are expected to be created over the next four years as National's plan continues to deliver results.
The choice at this election is clear: National's plan for economic growth, affordable energy, and no new taxes, or Labour and its allies' nine new taxes that risk putting added pressure on Kiwi households.
Backing Our Firefighters
Firefighters play a vital role in keeping our communities safe, and they deserve the equipment, training, and support needed to do their jobs effectively.
More than 14,000 firefighters, including volunteers, paid staff, and frontline support personnel, work tirelessly to protect New Zealanders every day. They deserve an organisation that is as dependable and prepared as they are.
National's three-point plan will strengthen Fire and Emergency New Zealand by:
- Restoring accountability within the organisation.
- Supporting volunteer firefighters through private insurance covering event-based mental injuries and gradual process injuries.
- Equipping the frontline with modern fire appliances, reinstating live fire training, reducing unnecessary red tape, and prioritising operational capability.
After nine years of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, many frontline firefighters still face shortages of equipment and training opportunities. National is committed to ensuring our firefighters have the support they need to keep communities safe.
Ensuring Children Get the Best Start
The early years of a child's life are critical in shaping their future success.
National has announced new initiatives to ensure children are ready for school, including ending screens in Early Childhood Education centres, introducing limits on screen use in primary schools, and implementing a new School Start Check before children begin their primary education.
These changes will:
- End individual screen use in ECE settings.
- Introduce tighter limits on device use for students in Years 1 to 3.
- Prioritise handwriting and paper-based assessment components.
- Establish clearer developmental milestones for children in ECE.
- Provide parents with better information about their child's progress.
- Identify children who may need additional support earlier and connect them with intervention services.
Every child deserves the best possible start, and these measures are designed to strengthen the foundations needed for lifelong learning and achievement.
A Fairer Deal at the Checkout
National has announced it will pursue the structural separation of Foodstuffs, subject to an independent Commerce Commission assessment, to increase competition and deliver better prices for Kiwi shoppers.
The proposal would separate New World and PAK'nSAVE into independent businesses, creating three major supermarket competitors alongside Woolworths.
Greater competition means stronger incentives to offer better pricing, more specials, greater product choice, and more opportunities for suppliers.
National believes New Zealanders deserve a fair deal at the checkout. Estimates suggest increased competition could save shoppers an average of $560 per year.
This proposal would only proceed if the Commerce Commission believed it would benefit consumers and improve competition.
Some highlights from September
- Went to Auckland to join the team at the National Party Campaign Launch. The atmosphere was electric, with more than a thousand supporters united behind a simple message: Kiwis work hard for every dollar and deserve to keep more of it. National's plan is focused on growing the economy, creating jobs, increasing wages, and returning the books to surplus, not reaching deeper into taxpayers' pockets.
- Joined local National MPs and candidates for a meeting with Education Minister Erica Stanford to discuss the future of education in New Zealand. It was encouraging to see people from across the political spectrum engaging constructively, asking thoughtful questions, and sharing ideas about how we can improve educational outcomes for young New Zealanders.
- Spoke at the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust Candidates Panel and celebrated the Trust's 2026 Annual Report. It was also an opportunity to discuss my work on the Banks Peninsula Dark Sky Project and the potential benefits it could bring to our communities, local tourism, and environmental conservation efforts.
- Also, spoke at the Diamond Harbour Meet the Candidates’ Debate. The turnout reflected exactly what we know about Banks Peninsula, it is one of the most engaged electorates in the country. Thank you to everyone who attended and to those who organised such a successful event.
Meet the Candidates Debates:
- Halswell Community Hall on October 13 from 7-9pm
- Maderia Hotel on October 15 from 7:30 - 9:30pm
- Mt Pleasant Community Centre in McCormacks Bay on October 22 from 7-9pm
Upcoming Street Corner meetings:
Come along for a chat and tell me what matters to you, your family, and your local community.
Saturday 17 October
Central: Somerfield, Spreydon, Hoon Hay and St Martins
Time Corner
12:30 pm Dyers Pass Rd MacMillan Ave
1:00 pm Hackthorne Rd Cashmere Rd
1:30 pm Hurunui St Waiau St
2:00 pm Rose St Hoon Hay Rd
2:30 pm Barrington St Conway St
3:00 pm Selwyn Rd Somerfield St
3:30 pm Colombo St Thorrington Rd
4:00 pm Centaurus Rd Bowenvale Ave
Sunday 18 October
Bays: Mt Pleasant, Redcliffs and Sumner
Time Corner
12:30 pm McCormacks Bay Rd Soleares Ave
1:00 pm Major Hornbrook Rd Freeman St
1:30 pm Munks Spur Rd Glenstrae Rd
2:00 pm Main Rd (Redcliffs) Taupata St
2:30 pm Nayland St Menzies Rd
3:00 pm St Leonard Sq Campbell St
