National leader Todd Muller has made a number of promises in a speech today. As we know, ‘promises’ made during an election campaign are:
- Subject to getting into power
- Subject to support parties allowing them to happen
- Subject to major things happening like pandemics or financial crises or earthquakes
- Subject to politicians not changing their minds or priorities once elected.
Muller made the commitments in a wide-ranging speech in his home town of Te Puna this afternoon.
The National leader touched on many topics, including his family, his early life and his private-sector experience.
But a major element of his speech was setting out the priorities of a National-led Government.
Chief among those was “the welfare of every New Zealander” and rebuilding the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 recession.
“National will not increase the taxes New Zealanders pay. Nor will we ever cut benefits, and we will continue to increase New Zealand’s investment in hospitals, schools and the welfare safety net,” he said.
He said successive governments should have acted “faster and more boldly” on issues such as water management and climate change.
On the latter, Muller said he was proud of the work he had done on getting National to support the first reading of the Zero Carbon bill.
Muller also said the previous government had not moved fast enough, or boldly enough, to address New Zealand’s social deficit, help the underclass, or “however you describe the deep-seated social problems we continue to see all around us”.
A clear push to the centre, where they reckon that in the main elections are won and lost,.
I think that sounds quite lame and just a repackaged variations on past claims from National.
Your NZ 
Pink David
/ 14th June 2020Empty speech full of nothing. He chose his career well.
nzautoimmune
/ 14th June 2020…seriously what is the difference between national and labour? National’s top ten is arguably more competent, but what else?
Corky
/ 14th June 2020Nothing… apart from a few million more or less depending on the policy.
Corky
/ 14th June 2020”Promised not to cut benefits
– Promised not to increase taxes
– Promised to spend more on the ‘welfare safety net’
– Said the previous National Govt should have moved faster and more boldly on climate change”
”Hello, could I speak to David Seymour please?”
”You certainly can, sir. You are Number 2037 on the waiting list.”
Duker
/ 14th June 2020Voting ACT will still give you a high spending national government you hate , good luck with ACT even getting any gun control windbacks. Just a few baubles for Seymour and Mullers full policy.
His only policy now is getting his approval rating around 10% come election time or else its a coup orchestrated by Bridges after the election
Corky
/ 14th June 2020It’s the thought that counts. And the odium of losing votes to a minor party. That may help change the National Party leadership.
”Good luck with ACT even getting any gun control windbacks”
I would have to agree – this country is too woke. However, you never know. When it comes to the crunch and ACT is needed by National, nothing will be off the table.
Kitty Catkin
/ 14th June 2020ACT is opposed to prodigal spending by governments.
Are you sure that ‘odium’ is what you mean?
Duker, David Seymour turned down what you would call ‘baubles’.
Brian Johnston
/ 14th June 2020Did I read correctly, Muller supports the AGW Climate Change scam?
More of the same. That should get Ardern re-elected.
I am expecting Muller to resign if he loses the election.
Now there is an incentive for Muller to do the right thing. Listen to us instead of talking to himself.
Duker
/ 14th June 2020National always has , its was Bridges and Bennett at Paris who signed the accord for NZ in 2017.
Surely you knew that …oh and the $800 million plus of taxpayers money each and every year sent overseas to buy ‘carbon credits. This is mostly to cover the farmers ’emissions’, who dont pay directly themselves unlike most other kiwis
Kitty Catkin
/ 14th June 2020Ardern was flapping around squawking that climate change was this generation’s nuclear free equivalent.
Griff.
/ 15th June 2020Listen to the fringe nutbars who deny climate change?
Good idea.
National can sit in the opposition benches for ever .
Ya gota love fringe dwellers who think they are mainstream ……
Conservatives were alternative to National, did not get 5% before imploding in a burst of hypocrisy and goeey love poems.
Then the fringe voted for Peters to give National a lessen.
It did…. a real good one. LOL .
So now they are gonna vote ACT.
Might get a couple of MPs if they are lucky but they will simply be what National would have got and still leave the right at around 30% .
Act maintain AGW is real unlike the wacko fringe .
They just don’t want to spend money on it …….
Brian Johnston
/ 15th June 2020Give us a break. The next (albeit mini) ice age has begun.
ACT are the fringe.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 14th June 2020I’m going to struggle to cast an electorate vote this year. Muller is worse than Bridges so far.
Gezza
/ 14th June 2020With a bit of luck, you could always duck out of the country & give it a miss, like you did last time? 😳
Alan Wilkinson
/ 14th June 2020Maybe Muller will?!
Pete George
/ 15th June 2020Corky
/ 15th June 2020I assume she is speaking of the Maori flag. If that was the New Zealand flag I doubt she would waste time on a tweet.. maybe just a snigger in private.
Apparently Muller is now a Labour man. Mikey said it’s hard to turn the ship of perception around after so many first up mistakes by Muller. I agree. Now he’s offending some Maori.
Corky
/ 15th June 2020Classic ignorance that abounds around NZ.
Isaac Aesili
Replying to
@Mihi_Forbes
”It’s fitting that the flag is upside down and backwards, so are many of National’s policies especially towards Māori.”
Someone needs to remind this chap of the hard work National put into treaty negotiations.