CANDIDATE QUESTIONS/answers to Tauranga & WBOP Grey Power ASSN
By Stuart Pederson the Act Party Candidate
Housing – 1. Older People and the Rental Market in the Western Bay of Plenty Sub-region. Dr Bev James (PP&R) and Dr Kay Saville-Smith (CRESA) Nov 2016.
Housing affordability is the biggest issue this election and ACT rejects the Soviet-style government building programmes proposed by most parties. We also reject blaming immigrants – yes population growth is pushing demand, but those workers are needed, and in any case the 800,000 Kiwis living overseas could return at any time and we need the flexibility to absorb an influx.
The problem is the red tape and infrastructure cost slowing development and inflating section prices. A stronger ACT will finally get the chance to replace the Resource Management Act so that developers can more easily and quickly build out and up to meet demand. We will also demand the abolition of the Auckland metropolitan urban limit, and pass half the GST on new building to councils to fund infrastructure.
Councils will release more land, section prices will fall, smaller lower cost houses will become profitable to develop, house prices will fall, and rents will follow. Land bankers will quit their holdings or build on them. Normality will return to the housing market and all the consequent social, poverty and inequality issues that National have allowed to escalate, will dramatically diminish. This needs to happen now to avoid an impending crisis of retired renters.
Apprenticeships – All businesses would prefer to hire skilled Kiwis than need to look overseas for staff – it is just that much harder, slower and riskier to hire non-Kiwis. Industry should therefore take the lead on vocational training including apprenticeships – there should be no need for politicians or the taxpayer to get involved. We will help business by getting the state out of the way – slashing red tape and cutting the company tax rate to 25%. And we will raise the student allowance rates to keep pace with accommodation costs.
National Super – National have kicked the can down the road for years on superannuation and their proposal is to kick it for a further 20 years until virtually all current ministers have been able to retire at 65. This is irresponsible and will saddle our children and grandchildren with another $40 billion (need to check $) of tax burden. ACT will slowly raise the retirement age starting in 2020 so that it is 67 by 2032.
Like low wage and beneficiary families, many of those relying on national superannuation at 66% of the average wage are struggling due to the housing affordability problem – particularly in Auckland and Tauranga. The solution is set out above under housing.
Education – Most young people finish school well equipped for further study or vocational training, but too many fall through the cracks. Regardless of the hard work of many teachers, the one-size-fits-all state system simply does not fit those kids. Only wealthy families have choices to move to sought-after zones or send their kids to private schools, and this is wrong.
ACT has had huge success implementing our policy of charter schools and more are opening every year – including Rotorua and Taupo next year. Kids who were once failing or simply not attending are now succeeding, and the cycle is breaking. A stronger ACT will accelerate this programme and I am keen to work with local community leaders to get the first charter school proposals approved for Tauranga and the Western Bay.
Health – DHB’s should be left free of central control to meet the health needs of their local communities as best they can. They could work together on standards and compare their performance, and they do this actively. In this way innovation in one DHB is shared with others and everyone benefits.
Water – Unlike Australia, we are endowed with copious rainfall and most provinces including the Bay of Plenty should not face major issues with competing demands for fresh water. However, it makes no sense to give away a precious resource like pure artesian spring water for bottling without some charge, regardless of whether the company is domestic or foreign, and whether the end consumers are here or overseas. ACT would make water rights tradeable, so that the market will drive up the price of the most precious water sources while still making sustainable irrigation viable for farmers.u
