ACT New Zealand has been receiving a surge in interest – with some polls estimating 5%-9% support. This is a significant grassroots movement that has built over the last 18 months. This article focuses on the values and principles at stake for the election on 19 September 2020 – now only two months away. Subsequent articles will explain why more voters are intending to Party Vote ACT to safely re-engage and rebuild.

A Party Vote for ACT is important because no single political party has been able to govern alone since MMP was introduced in New Zealand. Everyone needs friends. Your Party Vote for ACT could determine the direction and prosperity of our country for decades to come. This decision on how we rebuild from COVID-19 is important and deserves an honest conversation.

I passionately believe that diversity in people – the innovation and choices of individuals and families – leads to positive outcomes for our community and country. New Zealand is a place where a recently arrived immigrant with nothing can build a prosperous fruitful life for themselves and their children. We see this around us every day and I am grateful to be a part of it. My wife’s parents were born in India and are living proof of these possibilities.

What can ACT achieve with New Zealanders?

Bad things have been and are happening to good people. New Zealand will see unemployment rates not seen since the 1980s/90s. We need tax cuts to lessen the burden on hardworking families. ACT’s 5-Point Plan will cut the 30% tax rate to 17.5%. We would cut the GST rate from 15% to 10% for 1 year, and make it less risky for businesses to take a chance on a new employee. This will help restart the economy, give people the opportunity of work, and families the dignity of supporting themselves.

Why wait for and trust big government solutions when we need diverse innovation now?

One-size-fits-all solutions, designed by government departments in Wellington, cannot match the combined innovation of our diverse community. This is true of “solutions” proposed by both the red and blue political parties.

Kiwis are innovative. People who move to New Zealand also have the same proactive and innovative spirit. We enjoy the freedoms here so that we can actively improve our lives from our own efforts.

We cannot afford to wait for the political winds in Wellington to respond to our needs of today, and deliver our tomorrow. The day is unlikely to come – we must empower ourselves.

Changing our Future

ACT would ensure a smaller, more efficient and effective government. We will empower businesses and communities to innovate. The dynamism within our communities can change our future.

ACT people are open-minded, and on current polling will have 4 to 5 more MPs with David Seymour in Parliament. We will achieve so much more.

Public polling shows increasing support for ACT. We do not have to continue with the same red/blue policies of the past – decisions from Wellington affecting you. If you have control of the decisions you can decide what meets your family’s needs. A Party Vote for ACT this election is to Change your Future.

– by ACT’s candidate for Mt Roskill, Chris Johnston, who has outlined above, what principles and policies ACT stands for. Chris is a Project Manager who was born in Whanganui and has lived around Mt Roskill and Dominion Road for eight years with his wife and children.