To be great again, New Zealand needs to look after the baby just born, the worker and the business wanting a fair deal, and those older who want to retire with dignity and grace.
To do that we are going to rebuild our economy and environment so that it serves these people, our people, not foreign banks and not foreign interests.
You will read and hear many promises in this election, but New Zealand First’s policies go to the very heart of our country’s recovery.
In this election, you now have the chance to rebuild the New Zealand you want.
Only New Zealand First can fix this.
The Party has selected three candidates from the Indian community Mahesh Bindra (Mt Roskill), Anne Degia-Pala (Kelston) and Dr George Abraham (Christchurch Central).
Foreign ownership
New Zealand First will stop the sell-off of our land, houses and assets to foreign interests. There is a serious lack of houses. We will use a new state agency to create a Land Bank that will supply affordable sections with finance for first home buyers at low interest rates. And we will build the required number of houses to deal with Auckland’s housing crisis.
Land sale
Over one million hectares of New Zealand land has been sold to foreign interests under the National government. New Zealand First will stop the foreign takeover of New Zealand.
Law and order
The police budget has been frozen for five years and recently suffered a $40 million budget cut. New Zealand First will give many more frontline police. We were responsible for getting a thousand extra police into the frontline, and we will do this again.
We will pass legislation to crack down on the binge drinking culture.
Education
New Zealand First will remove National Standards and introduce a dollar-for-dollar student debt write-off scheme for graduates who remain and work in New Zealand.
We will close charter schools.
We also want to improve standards of rental accommodation to benefit all of those who are renting and students.
GST
GST will be taken off most food items in the supermarket.
Health
New Zealand First introduced free GP visits for children under six years of age. We will follow this up by giving free GP visits to all primary school children.
Seniors will get three free visits to their GP.
New Zealand First is committed to funding a first class public health system
NZ Super
We are opposed to raising the age of entitlement from 65. NZ super is affordable at 4.1% net of GDP, which is half the cost of some other countries.
Reliance on one market
The price for our milk is dropping and the demand for our logs has suddenly reduced. We have been relying on the sale of these two products to one market, China, for too long.
We must strengthen industry, manufacturing and exporting.
New Zealand’s international indebtedness is one of the highest rates relative to GDP in the OECD, and it is worsening. Our savings strategy will turn the debt around.
Business assistance
Jobs are linked to our economy. Many exporters have closed because of the overvalued Kiwi dollar. We will change the Reserve Bank Act to deal with this.
We will lower business tax rates for exporters who develop new products to 20%.
The Government must give preference to Kiwi companies in awarding government contracts. Our workers need these jobs.
Our Royalties for the Regions policy will keep 25% of royalties paid by extractive industries in the area, so that locals have the resources for projects and job creation.
Assets sales
We will buy back the electricity companies that were sold by National against the wishes of the majority of New Zealanders. This will bring affordable power prices.
Immigration
We are not anti-immigration but many immigrants who came last year were in older age groups. The family reunion level is too high, particularly from China. This has put pressure on our health and welfare systems, and NZ Super.
KiwiFund
KiwiFund is a new KiwiSaver option from New Zealand First. It will have low fees and a guaranteed return of capital investment. It will be government run. The fund will be of huge value as it will primarily invest in New Zealand assets and infrastructure.
Transport
New Zealand First has developed the Railways of National Importance (RONI) programme to put life back into our railways while we maintain roading at a high standard. We support greater investment in public transport including the Auckland City Rail Link starting no later than 2016.
Winston Peters is the Leader of the New Zealand First Party and Member of Parliament.
