Prime Minister Chris Hipkins made his first official move in the top job yesterday: extending the period of half-price public transport and the 25c-a-litre petrol tax cut.
The prime minister said it would reduce the average 60l tank of petrol by $17.25.
In his first interview with teaomāori.news for the year today, Act leader David Seymour (Ngāpuhi) says while he understands why Hipkins would extend the cuts further in a cost of living crisis, it’s just a “good political sugar hit”.
“Who doesn’t like free money?
“But, if you believe in kaitiakitanga, you have to look at the whole ecosystem and ask what other things does this mean?”
Seymour says all it will do is drive inflation up again in other areas – at the cost of “$718 million”.
“If you care – and again I reference kaitiakitanga – about future generations, you have to ask yourself: Is it just to be borrowing with bigger government deficits today, knowing they will be paid off by tamariki and mokopuna in years to come.”
While Seymour has heard Hipkins’ call to reset and change, he says his first move being more of the same is a disappointment.
Switching gears to recent poll results, Jacinda Ardern’s resignation hasn’t dented Labour’s popularity much. To his surprise, Seymour didn’t expect it.
“Maybe the new prime minister getting a week of wall-to-wall media coverage says ‘hey, here’s the shiny new thing’. Maybe that explains the polls.”
For the Act party itself, Seymour says he’s happy about its “record levels” in the polls, though according to 1 News’ Kantar poll Act is on 10% (down one point) approval rating. But his top priorities are hearing the concerns of New Zealanders – soaring prices, the interpretations of Te Tiriti and the Treaty and more.
“[Waitangi Day] means a lot to me because I have ancestry on both sides of that signing. Funnily enough being a politician the political year starts around Waitangi so in practical terms it just means lots of mahi.”
Seymour will deliver his party’s first speech for the year the day after Waitangi Day in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Credit: Source link
For more News go to ovanewsblast.com
