ACT New Zealand

Lock Labour Out and Unlock New Zealand’s Potential.

Authorised by C. Purves,

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

This election is in your hands and it belongs to you.

Party Vote ACT.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

“ACT will give every Year 11 student $500 to invest in a Sharesies-style account,” says ACT Leader David Seymour, launching a financial literacy policy previously teased in April. The policy will be included in the Party's election manifesto, to be released on Monday.

“Financial literacy should absolutely be part of the curriculum. In the modern world it’s extraordinary to think otherwise. But the real challenge is getting children motivated to learn.

“ACT’s policy, already fully costed in our fiscal plan, literally gets young people invested. Instead of just learning about investment in a textbook, students will have real skin in the game.

“Students will start with a term deposit, then graduate to managed funds, New Zealand shares, and international investments as they demonstrate their understanding of risk and reward.

“Too many young New Zealanders leave school without understanding how wealth is created, how businesses grow, or how they can put their savings to work.

“This policy will help unlock the potential of generations of young New Zealanders, introducing them to saving, investing, and taking responsibility for their financial futures.

“Combined with ACT’s policy to remove tax on KiwiSaver, it will help set Kiwis up for life by making it easier to build wealth and secure their financial future.

“Meanwhile, Nicole McKee’s AML reforms have already simplified the process of opening a child’s bank account and further improvements are in a bill that she has already introduced to parliament.

“Young New Zealanders will see themselves not just as workers and consumers, but as investors and owners with a stake in our country’s success.”

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀' 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: $𝟯𝟵 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗖𝗧'𝘀

"The Green Party’s fiscal plan makes crystal clear what’s at stake: taxpayers face a choice between $12.4 billion less debt under ACT’s plan, or $26.6 billion more debt under the Greens’ plan. It is a choice between financial security or financial ruin," says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“The Greens' plan would send the bill to those too young to vote and not even born. By their own working, they’d swell net core Crown debt to $256.4 billion in 2030/31, or 44 per cent of GDP. That's $26.6 billion more than Treasury's forecast and $39 billion more than ACT's plan.

"The Greens would make government bigger than it was in the middle of the pandemic. Pandemic spending was an emergency. The Greens' fiscal plan is a permanent emergency for taxpayers.

"Taxpayers already pay $1.2 million every hour covering interest on the debt. The Greens seem to think that’s not enough.

"The Greens' plan is worse than the extra debt. Debt means more tax in the future, but they want more tax in the present, too. The Greens expect to raise $28.75 billion in new taxes over four years, but they don't allow for the deadweight loss of higher taxes: discouraging investment and growth. If taxing cigarettes discourages smoking then discouraging investment, rental housing and savings will discourage them, too. Less growth means less tax revenue and more debt than the Greens admit.

"Then there's the Greens’ pay equity fudge. The Greens promise to restore it, but budget just $4.5 billion over four years. That’s $8 billion short of Treasury’s estimates. Clearly, someone’s going to miss out. The Greens will do anything for women but actually fund their promises to women. They say the Coalition doesn’t care about women because we cancelled pay equity. We reject that thinking, but by their own logic, they don’t either.

"ACT's plan is different. We would reduce the size of government and cut waste to reach surplus earlier, with $12.4 billion less debt than Treasury's baseline by 2031.

"Chlöe Swarbrick is angling for the Finance portfolio. She is prepared to deliver financial ruin to the next generation.

“The stakes could not be higher. To lock the Greens out, we must lock Labour out. A Party Vote for ACT achieves that, while also helping the Coalition to go further and faster in paying down the debt."

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

Last night, tackling the Greens and Gangs.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

ACT has rewritten the Arms Act and cut unnecessary red tape. Now the regulations need to deliver on those reforms.

Party Vote ACT to finish the job.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

Your rights should never depend on who your ancestors were.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

“You can't pick your whānau, but you can pick where you campaign. Chris Hipkins has been caught out lecturing other parties about their judgement while his candidates campaign with gang members,” says ACT Deputy Leader Nicole McKee.

“Footage has circulated of Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni wearing Labour campaign branding, standing alongside her hoardings, and encouraging people to vote at a Mongrel Mob event. It shows once again why we need to lock Labour out.

“It also shows what's at stake this election. On the left you have two parties openly campaigning for gang votes, and one trying to do it secretly. Meanwhile ACT has restored Three Strikes for serious violent and sexual offending, redirected funding away from gang-run programmes towards victims and crime prevention, and is campaigning to extend Three Strikes to burglary."

"Chris Hipkins has tried desperately to distance himself from TPM and the Greens and their pro-gang antics. He can't distance himself from his own candidates when they have been caught soliciting votes and fundraising from gangs though. I wonder how many donations she got, and where that money came from?

“Even now he is saying that campaigning with gang members is acceptable, so long as it's not at their pad. What sort of distinction is that?

"Ms Leoni says she wants to be a role model for her whānau. A role model would condemn the criminal behaviour that is ruining so many lives."

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 - 𝗖𝘆𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴

“As if to demonstrate that he is firmly in the pocket of left-wing teachers’ unions rather than on the side of students, Chris Hipkins has been caught repeating their false claims about charter school funding,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Cynical Chris says charter schools cost four times as much as state schools. In reality, they cost broadly the same, and slightly less when you calculate all the figures.

“At last week’s NZ Herald Leaders’ Debate, Ryan Bridge asked Hipkins whether he’d ever lied. Hipkins said he hadn't deliberately, but acknowledged making incorrect statements based on outdated information and claimed he had always corrected them.

“Well, here's his chance to put that to the test. The facts are publicly available on the Charter School Agency's website. Will he correct the record, or keep repeating false claims?

Compared like for like, the costs are:

Primary schools: $8,762 per student at state schools, compared with $8,278 at charter schools.

Secondary schools: $11,040 per student at state schools, compared with $10,741 at charter schools.

“Even the establishment funding figures show charter schools cost less. A new primary charter school with 100 students receives $401,675 in staffing and operating funding, compared with $638,249 for an equivalent state school.

“The real reason Hipkins opposes charter schools is that he and the unions are afraid they're becoming too successful.

“Since the first charter schools opened last year, enrolments have grown from 215 to more than 2,100. Five of the original seven schools exceeded their attendance targets in their first year, and five exceeded their achievement targets.

“Families are choosing these schools because they offer something different. For many students, the traditional system simply wasn't working. Now they're attending school, learning, and getting opportunities they didn't have before.

“Charter schools are contracted to deliver results. If they fail to meet their attendance and achievement targets, they risk losing their funding. That's a level of accountability not seen elsewhere in the state school system.

“Chris Hipkins should be celebrating schools that are helping students succeed, not threatening to close them to keep his union mates happy.

“It's time Cynical Chris put students ahead of union politics.”

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀

“ACT will drive down the costs of farming by cutting red tape, preventing new taxes and bringing discipline to government spending,” says ACT Agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard.

“A strong payout is welcome, but what matters is what’s left after paying for staff, interest, fuel, fertiliser, animal health and compliance. Rising costs can swallow the rewards of a good season.

“ACT understands farming because we have farmers in our team. We know how decisions made in Wellington flow through to bills at the kitchen table.

“We’re strengthening our plan to Make Farming Fun Again with further commitments to cut costs, protect property rights and give farmers more freedom to farm.”

ACT’s additions to the plan to drive down costs for farmers include:

⁠- Introducing at least ten new permitted activity standards covering farm plans, vegetable growing, on-farm water storage, gravel extraction, drain maintenance, effluent management, fertiliser application, farm quarries, wetland restoration, and small-and-medium-scale solar, removing resource consent costs for activities that meet those standards.

- Guaranteeing flexible land use, so changing what you farm won’t require a resource consent where it is consistent with National Standards.

⁠- Setting water limits using science and local realities, removing spiritual concepts like Te Mana o te Wai from the methodology.

- Requiring fair compensation when councils impose overlays such as Significant Natural Areas or Outstanding Natural Landscapes on private land.

- Committing to long-term funding to eradicate wilding pines, with DOC directed to coordinate pest control across public and private land, reducing the burden on individual farmers.
This is on top of already-announced proposals to drive down costs by:

- Keeping freshwater farm plans practical and affordable, with clear rules focused on actual environmental harm and local conditions.

- Removing unnecessary restrictions on agricultural drones and other technology that can improve productivity and reduce operating costs.

- ⁠Keeping agriculture permanently out of the ETS and opposing any agricultural emissions tax or pricing scheme.

- Cutting the carbon tax that drives up the price of fuel and other farm inputs.

- Introducing a Rural Workforce Visa and maintaining employment settings that make recruiting and employing staff easier.

- Balancing the books without new taxes, returning to surplus faster and paying down debt, helping ease pressure on inflation and interest rates.

- Retaining the Reserve Bank’s focus on controlling inflation.

- Requiring permanent forest owners to carry the long-term costs and risks of their forests, including sufficient pest control.

- Removing red tape around homekill and making it easier for farmers to sell their products directly to consumers.

⁠- Funding 100,000 additional rural Police patrol hours each year, establishing a dedicated rural crime unit, and strengthening penalties for livestock theft, poaching and repeat burglary to reduce the costs of theft and damage.

- Increasing penalties for illegal rubbish dumping to deter offending that leaves farmers facing clean-up bills.

- Allowing rural children to use spare seats on existing school buses wherever practical, reducing transport costs for families.

- Speeding up access to proven agricultural chemicals and veterinary medicines, and recognising trusted overseas approvals to reduce regulatory costs and improve access to competing products.

- Expanding healthcare through pharmacies and enabling 24-hour prescription e-lockers, reducing travel and time away from the farm.

Other additions to ACT’s rural plan include:

- Keeping Agricultural and Horticultural Science as a standalone Year 11 subject.

- Strengthening vocational pathways to support students into careers such as agriculture and horticulture.

⁠- Reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act so it reflects how farming businesses operate today.

“ACT has the strongest record of any party of backing farmers, and the most comprehensive plan to continue to boost farm productivity, drive down costs, and let farmers farm.”

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

ACT will protect charter schools from Labour's attempts to shut them down, and offer real choice in education for thousands more young Kiwis.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

"ACT is campaigning to transform 10,000 lives for the better, by opening up education for those who’ve found the school door shut. Charter schools show children that education can be different, and we are campaigning to open up the possibility charter schools deliver for more children,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Charter schools are one of the clearest success stories of this Government’s education reforms. When schools are given greater freedom to innovate and respond to the needs of their students, families benefit and students thrive.

“Since the first charter schools opened last February, growth has been exponential. With only 215 students on day one, today there are 2,117. The Charter School agency forecasts that there will be nearly 6,000 students by next September. Early results are encouraging too, with most schools meeting attendance and achievement targets, and all schools teaching Years 3–10 meeting their mathematics achievement threshold.

“Charter schools are showing children that school can be different, and helping students from all walks of life. There are schools catering for high performance athletes, for students with autism, schools focused on Pacific culture, and teaching the International Baccalaureate in French. One school is online, while another is part of a successful Australian chain. There is no one type of charter school for one type of student, and that is the point.

“That makes Chris Hipkins’ pledge to abolish charter schools even harder to understand. Families have deliberately chosen to move outside the traditional system because it was not meeting their needs. Hipkins is saying Labour would force them back in.

“Hipkins is putting union interests ahead of student outcomes. The education unions have opposed charter schools from day one because they sit outside collective agreements, but parents care about results, not union politics.

“I’ve challenged Hipkins to visit these charter schools and tell the students directly why he wants to take away their education. He won’t do that. That’s why charter schools will keep growing. The idea that students can learn in a way that works for them is stronger than his cynical politics.

“ACT will not only protect charter schools from Labour's attempts to shut them down, we will expand them so that thousands more young New Zealanders can benefit. ACT will:

- Set a target of 10,000 student enrolments by the end of 2029, with annual reporting on progress.

- Increase the conversion of suitable state and state-integrated schools into charter schools, while removing unnecessary barriers relating to employment, property and funding.

- New charter schools will be encouraged where there is sufficient demand and a sufficient sponsor, with the goal for there to be a charter school option in every major town in New Zealand.

- Funding for growth will be managed transparently through existing Vote Education appropriations.

- Retain strong performance standards for attendance, achievement, financial management, and student wellbeing.

“Charter schools cost less to establish than equivalent state schools, and are accountable to deliver results – they can be shut down if they don’t.

“By the end of 2029, more families will have the freedom to choose a school that works for their child, more educators will have the flexibility to innovate, and more young New Zealanders will have the opportunity to succeed.”

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

More and more people are backing @dbseymour and switching their Party Vote to ACT this election.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹

“Inflation might have eased, but there is still a lot more work to do to make life affordable for New Zealanders,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“When you’re paying over a million dollars an hour in interest on government debt, it’s not time to make a virtue of saving money slowly. That is money taken from health, education, infrastructure or lower taxes.

“Elections are a dangerous time for taxpayers. As the day draws nearer and the polls tighten, politicians will throw money at every passing car. The ACT party says our priority should be to balance the budget with no new taxes.

“Every other political party is promising to spend billions more. National is at the lower end of the scale while the Greens and TOP are promising hundreds of billions in spending. There’s a reason ACT is the only party promising to save money.

“Our fully-costed fiscal plan reduces debt by $12.4 billion. That should be the focus for any party in this election. The Government will go broke if we don’t take action, but other parties are carrying on with he-said-she-said politics without a care in the world.

“There’s a lot at stake this election. As one farmer put it to me recently, this election would determine whether he takes a chance to grow his business and buys more land, or whether he scales back because of the extra costs and red tape he'd face under Labour.

“It’s not just farmers who are feeling that way. This election could determine whether we have a productive, high-wage economy with growing businesses for years to come – or if it’s back to the future with higher taxes, higher spending, more complicated monetary policy, and higher inflation.

“ACT released a fully costed plan because New Zealanders deserve to know how political parties intend to pay for their promises. We've set out where we would save money, which services we would protect, and how we would return more money to households."

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

𝗡𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗼 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀

“Chris Hipkins says the boardroom isn't his target audience and he's more interested in the mood of the smoko room. Someone should tell him the two are connected,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“The smoko room becomes pretty empty when businesses can't afford to grow, hire people, or keep their doors open.

“I've been travelling around New Zealand meeting business owners who are on a knife-edge waiting for the outcome of this election. They're deciding whether to invest in their businesses, hire more staff, and grow, or whether to scale back.

“The other day I spoke to a farmer who told me the election would determine whether he takes the leap and buys more land and hires more staff or whether he scales back because of the extra costs and red tape he'd face under Labour.

“That's the reality Chris Hipkins doesn't seem to understand. When business owners lose confidence, it's workers who lose opportunities. You cannot have higher wages, more jobs, and a stronger economy without successful businesses.

“Labour has always treated employers and employees as if they're on opposing teams. The small business owner who expands is giving another Kiwi the opportunity to earn a living.

“ACT has spent the last three years cutting red tape and making it easier for businesses to succeed. We want to go further and faster to end wasteful spending and cut red tape. That will lead to higher wages and more opportunities for New Zealanders.

“Party Vote ACT to re-elect the Government and make it go further and faster on the issues that matter.”

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

ACT will make the Hauraki Gulf a recreational fishing reserve so more families can head out and catch a feed.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

When ACT says smaller government, we mean it.

[David Seymour @dbseymour]

We can have equal rights, or we can have a "partnership" that divides races. ACT chooses equal rights.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

Qiulae Wong says ACT's Treaty Principles Bill was undemocratic.
Fact check: ACT's bill would have initiated a referendum.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

KiwiSaver is under attack by Parties who want more compulsion. ACT will cut tax on KiwiSaver and respect your choices.

[ACT New Zealand @actparty]

Things are tough right now. ACT will put money back in your pocket with a Carbon Tax Refund and help your retirement savings grow by removing tax on KiwiSaver earnings.