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Michael Woodhouse

National predicts Census 2023 will be delayed
March 17, 2022
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Michael Woodhouse
Government will announce a delay of the next Census until 2024, predicts National’s Statistics spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Government splurges today, we all pay dearly tomorrow
November 10, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Labour Government’s massive spending spree stepped up to a new gear, announcing $35 billion of spending in just a week with no details on how it will be paid, for says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Kiwis keep getting poorer under Labour
November 03, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Data released today by Stats NZ shows that, over the past year, the cost of living has risen twice as fast as wages, says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Find out if you’re smarter than the Finance Minister with our fun quiz!
October 21, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
It should be back to school – if he can find one that’s open – for Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Fiscal discipline must underpin recovery
October 20, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The days of using Covid as cover for profligate spending must end, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Inflation soars – Kiwis suffer as cost of living spikes
October 18, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government needs to urgently recognise soaring inflation as the biggest medium-term threat to the New Zealand economy and halt its wasteful spending, says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Robertson tops up Covid slush fund with borrowed money
September 16, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Grant Robertson’s $7 billion top-up of the misused Covid Response and Recovery Fund gives him carte-blanche to splash more borrowed money between Budgets, says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Robertson has emptied the Covid piggy bank
September 08, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Confirmation today that the Government has sought authorisation to spend a whopping $41 billion over and above Budget 2021 is proof that the Finance Minister is once again using the cover of Covid-19 to spend taxpayer funds on pet projects that have little to do with New Zealand’s Covid-19 response, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Minister won’t say how much more taxpayers will be up for
August 24, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Finance Minister Grant Robertson won’t say how much extra taxpayers will have to foot to pay for the current lockdown, says National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Treasury wholly opposed to Labour’s Car Tax
August 06, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Documents released to National reveal Treasury unambiguously told the Finance Minister the Car Tax shouldn’t be implemented, but the Government ploughed ahead with the policy anyway, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Te Huia train costing taxpayers $24,000 a day
August 05, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour’s grand plan to have a commuter line between Hamilton to Auckland is racking up huge costs at the taxpayer’s expense, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Kiwis should be frustrated with Labour’s spending priorities
August 03, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The projects Labour is choosing to spend hard earned taxpayer money on speaks volumes around its priorities, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Car Tax pushing up prices of EVs
June 29, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour’s Car Tax is not only forcing hardworking Kiwis to pay more because they can’t switch to an electric vehicle, but it’s pushing up the prices of electric vehicles too, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

New Zealand’s Transport in disarray under Labour
June 25, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
News that just three months after funding was confirmed in ATAP 2021-2031 the Eastern Busway will now be delayed is just another sign that Labour can’t manage New Zealand’s transport priorities, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour’s Car Tax another tax grab
June 24, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Transport Minister Michael Wood has reluctantly admitted that while he plans to halt his car subsidy if too much money is paid out, he has no similar measure to make sure his policy doesn't turn into a tax grab, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

$12,000 more for a Hilux and emissions won’t drop
June 23, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour is pushing through a second car tax that will see Kiwis have to pay $12,000 more for a hilux in 2025, unfairly punishing those who don’t have the option to switch to an EV, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

BCR shows Labour must axe the cycle bridge
June 18, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
I’m calling on the Government to cancel its cycle bridge across the Waitematā Harbour, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Auckland cycle bridge at the cost of regional roads
June 17, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government is forging ahead with an ideological vanity project, in the form of a cycle bridge over Waitematā harbour, at the expense of the day-to-day maintenance of local roads and state highways across the country, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour’s car tax will unfairly punish New Zealanders
June 13, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government’s car tax will unfairly punish Kiwis who don’t have the option right now of switching to an electric vehicle, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Second harbour crossing – do it once, do it right
June 04, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
When it comes to building a second harbour crossing, we should be doing it once and we should be doing it right, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour is obsessed with pushing Kiwis out of cars
May 14, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour is far too focused on pushing people out of cars and isn’t taking into account that private vehicles will always be used by Kiwis, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

$35 million for a train that hasn’t left the station
May 12, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Since 2017 the Government has wasted $35 million of taxpayer money on light rail and has nothing to show for it, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Rail investment putting safety improvements at risk
May 06, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government is putting regional roading projects and important safety improvements across the country at risk by raiding the National Land Transport Fund to invest more in rail, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Reallocating Covid Fund irresponsible
May 04, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Plans by the Government to reallocate $926 million of money unspent from the Covid Response and Recovery Fund is irresponsible and burdens future generations with even more debt than is necessary, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour will say anything to get elected
April 28, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour walking back its commitment to transport projects across the country is further proof it will say anything to get elected, but won’t actually deliver it, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Aucklanders deserve a fuel tax refund
March 31, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
Labour has once again announced a future announcement, this time for light rail, after wasting almost four years on the project, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse.

Skypath funding should be re-prioritised
March 22, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
With Skypath looking dead in the water, some of the $240 million set aside for it in ATAP should be redirected towards detailed design, planning and other preparatory work for a second harbour crossing.

Auditor-General should investigate Ihumātao deal
March 16, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
National has written to the Auditor-General, requesting that he investigate the apparent misuse of millions in taxpayer dollars used to settle the Ihumātao land dispute.

Harbour crossing should be a priority, not an afterthought
March 12, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government’s lack of urgency with a second harbour crossing for Auckland shows how misguided it is when it comes to the needs of the city and New Zealand’s economy.

Labour goes from ‘Let’s Do This’ to ‘Let’s Start Again’
February 25, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
The future of Auckland’s light rail looks bleak after the new Transport Minister confirmed the Government has basically gone back to the drawing board on a project that was supposed to be delivered this year, National’s Transport Spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Let’s Get Wellington Moving stalled at the station
February 12, 2021
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Michael Woodhouse
After much excitement that Let’s Get Wellington Moving was finally on the move, Wellingtonians will be rightly disappointed that the Independent Review has recommended the plan go back to the drawing board, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

No excuse for borrowing up large
December 17, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
The better than forecast recovery our economy has seen means Labour must immediately chart a path back to sustainable levels of debt, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour opens floodgates by paying off protestors
December 17, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Taxpayers should not be stumping up $30 million to cover the Government’s bungling of the land dispute at Ihumātao, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Labour doesn’t have a plan to pay down debt
December 16, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Today’s Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update confirms Labour has no plan to lift New Zealand out of debt, saddling our future generations with the burden, National’s Finance spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Light rail debacle stains NZ’s business reputation
November 27, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
The Auditor-General has confirmed what the National Party has long believed – that the Government’s handling of Auckland’s light rail was ham-fisted, risky and probably in breach of procurement rules

Jones overseeing a ‘treacle-riddled’ PGF
July 29, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
It’s been three years and despite many, many questions, New Zealanders still have no idea whether the Provincial Growth Fund has created the jobs it was intended to, National’s Regional Economic Development spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Statement from Michael Woodhouse
July 10, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Between June 21 and 25 I received four unsolicited emails from Michelle Boag containing information that, while not the same information that is the subject of the Inquiry led by Michael Heron QC, was similar insofar as it contained patient details.

This Government can’t be trusted with anything
July 04, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Yet another mistake just goes to prove that this Government is not fit to manage the Covid-19 recovery, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says. “Reports coming in this morning of personal details being leaked which reveals the identity of New Zealand’s current active cases, is yet another serious failing from this incompetent Government.

Government failing to fulfil testing responsibilities
June 30, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
It is unacceptable that two weeks after the Government’s bungles at the border were exposed, there are still hundreds of potential cases wandering around untested, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Now is not the time to ease back on Covid testing
June 25, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Restricting Covid-19 tests at a time when New Zealand is seeing a case resurgence is the wrong way to go, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says

Managed isolation still a complete shambles
June 21, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
It’s not only the residents of Stamford Plaza that deserve better from the Government, the whole process is a shambles, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says

Government fails to fix border
June 20, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government’s rapid reshuffling of leadership has failed to fix its shambolic management of quarantine at our border, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

National would ensure testing is actually mandatory
June 18, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
New Zealand’s team of 5 million have done their part in combating Covid-19, but the Government is failing to do theirs, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

More questions than answers with new cases
June 16, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
Today’s two new cases of Covid-19 raise serious questions as to whether the Government is following its own protocol in regards to Covid-19, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Health report overdue and unlikely to be acted on
June 16, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
David Clark has delayed and delayed the release of today’s Health and Disability System Review, and as a result the Government is unlikely to provide a response before the election, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Release the report, Minister
June 09, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government needs to release the Health and Disability sector review which was completed months ago, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Government fails to keep breast screening promise
May 30, 2020
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Michael Woodhouse
The Government has failed to keep the promise in its coalition agreement with NZ First to progressively increase the age for free breast screening to 74 years of age, National’s Health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.