Venkat Raman
Auckland, April 9, 2023
Former Honorary Consul of the Philippines and popular lawyer Paulo Garcia will represent the National Party at the New Lynn electorate in the general election to be held on October 14, 2023.
He was a member of Parliament from May 16, 2019 to October 17, 2020 and a ‘List Only Candidate’ in the general election held in 2020.
Known for his gentle manners, Mr Garcia is a good conversationalist and is a favourite of the growing Filipino community in New Zealand.
He has been a lawyer for 30 years, about 20 of which have been in New Zealand.
Mr Garcia said that he was excited to be a National Party candidate and participate in the election campaign.
National Party strengths
“A National Government will strengthen our economy and deliver on the issues that matter, like reducing the cost of living. Our Party’s policies, including FamilyBoost, will provide up to $75 a week in tax rebates to help families cover the cost of childcare. This will be a huge help to families in New Lynn dealing with the high cost of living,” he said.
Mr Garcia said that families in New Lynn are struggling to make ends meet before they even try to fill up their cars or buy groceries.
“National is the only Party with a plan to reduce the cost of living and the ability to deliver on it. New Lynn is my home and it is important to me that people here can succeed,” he said.
Mr Garcia said that he is passionate about giving young people the best education that they can get to set them on the right path and give them more opportunities in life.
Improving Education
“I am thrilled with the National Party’s new Teaching the Basics Brilliantly Policy. It will children in New Lynn the skills that they need to succeed by requiring primary and intermediate schools to spend an average of an hour each day on maths, an hour a day on reading and an hour a day on writing. People in this electorate want the best for their families and they work hard to give them that but it is getting harder to get ahead as the cost-of-living blows out thanks to Labour’s economic mismanagement,” he said.
According to him, renters in Auckland are paying $5000 more per year than they were in 2017 and “interest rate hikes which are trying to put a lid on Labour’s runaway inflation are sending mortgage repayments in West Auckland up by hundreds of dollars per week.”
Mr Garcia said that a National government will focus on restoring law and order.
“People in New Lynn want to feel safe in their community and right now that is not the case. Victimisations, which include things like assaults, robberies and burglaries, were 36% higher last year than in 2017 in our part of Auckland. National will crack down on serious youth offending by introducing Young Offender Military Academies and we will back our Police to tackle gang crime. All of these policies are only possible if we elect a National Government and I will be campaigning relentlessly in New Lynn to make that happen,” he said.
About Paulo Garcia
Born in San Juan, Philippines, Paulo Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Philippines. He holds a Certificate of Proficiency in Law from the University of Auckland.
Mr Garcia moved to New Zealand almost 20 years ago. He has been a self-employed lawyer for about 30 years. He also served as Honorary Consul for the Philippines in New Zealand.
He says that he is a Pinoy Kiwi and is heavily involved with the local Filipino community.
He is the Founder of the Pinoys Go National Filipino Support Movement for National (now called KASAMA) and the New Zealand Philippines Business Council.
