– the former Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand, who also held a number of senior roles with Unilever, was visiting Universal Granite (UC), New Zealand’s leading supplier of stones, accompanied by Alastair Bell, National Party’s Board Member based in Northern Region

Sure to enter the Parliament this elections, as Botany is considered a safe seat for the opposition National Party, Luxon was all praise for Siva Kilari, Director of UC and a National supporter, who has made his company New Zealand’s leading supplier of stones, in just over ten years.

“It’s business owners like Siva who are driving this country and I am particularly impressed by his passion to work in and for the community. I am sure that private enterprises such as UC, is what will take this country out of recession,” Luxon noted.

He went on to explain his motivations for joining politics after a distinguished corporate career, adding, “When it became clear to me that politics is my next goal in life, National was the obvious choice as in this party we care deeply about people where we follow a social investment approach. In contrast ight now, what we are seeing is that seeds are being thrown on concrete, and not on fertile ground.”

During a Q&A session after his speech, Luxon stressed on the need for New Zealand to improve on its productivity. “When I compare New Zealand to other five million countries, I see productivity improvement through increased digitalisation is the way to way.”

He also indicated his preference to have a Minister of Small Business and Minister of Mental Health in New Zealand’s next cabinet if his party comes to power. “Small businesses is what drives New Zealand, and mental health has always been a second class citizen to physical health in terms of our priorities. So dedicated ministers will help bring focus on these two important issues,” he said.

– TIN Bureau