National has been hitting the ground running in 2022, and with a growing cost of living crisis and omicron surge, fresh new ideas have never been more critical. The team and I are working hard in Wellington for the North Shore to get this country back on track. National is now the largest party again, according to Roy Morgan and 1 News Kantar polling, and I'll be working hard every day to get National back in the Beehive in 2023.

The most important thing for me is the North Shore, and when I see our small businesses crushed by government regulation and families struggling with the rising cost of living, I can't sit by.

Data shows median rents nationwide are up $50 from last year - the highest yearly increase on record, and inflation is at 5.9% - the highest in over 30 years. This year the government will add an additional $6 billion in new spending, the largest single increase in history. We need change.

I encourage you to listen to the State of the Nation speech from Chris Luxon, if you haven't already. Chris is exactly the Prime Minister we need, and the contrast between us and the government couldn't be clearer.

I couldn't do any of the work I do without your support. Together, we can make a real difference.

Simon

Email: [email protected]

Ph: 09 486 0005

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Tackling the cost of living crisis 

When I'm out and about in our community talking to people and businesses, I always hear that the cost of living and doing business is becoming a real struggle. New Zealand is struggling with a cost of living crisis. North Shore businesses and families see the prices of food, petrol, rent, and other necessities increase while paying more and more in tax. It's ridiculous that at a time where the cost of petrol is increasing day by day, Aucklanders are still paying a fuel tax that's done nothing but sit in a government bank account.

The first and most important thing to do is stop Labour's tax grab, and National will reverse Labour's new taxes. The next is to start to give relief to struggling families. The reality of record inflation is that you're paying far more now in tax than you were in 2017 when National was last in office despite the brackets staying the same. National would index tax brackets so inflation doesn't mean you get taxed more every year.

Under our plan, a family with two adults on the average wage would benefit by over $1,700 a year. The couple rate for NZ Super would go up by $546 per year on top of the scheduled increase this April. Even after accounting for the $1.7 billion costs of these tax cuts, the remaining $4.3 billion in the 2022 budget would still be the biggest allowance for new spending initiatives ever.

National is leading the discussion on the cost of living, and according to new polling, we're considered the most capable of managing the issues of the cost of living, housing and fuel. We're also leading on Law and Order, and transport and infrastructure, two issues that are critically important here on the Shore.

Our families and businesses need support now, not more taxes.

Keeping the pressure up on local issues

As another annual report for Auckland Council gets released, I'm keeping the pressure on local government to make critical investments in the North Shore. Compared to what we pay in rates, the Shore is often forgotten by the council, vital services are cut, and others are delayed. That's not good enough.

The surplus after income tax for Auckland Council was $1.9 billion, an increase of 21 per cent from the comparative period in the year before, and capital investment in infrastructure and community assets totalled $917 million. This was 24 per cent less than the year before. We're paying more in rates and getting less in services. Improvements to the congested and dangerous Lake Road have been delayed and won't start till 2023 at the earliest, and the Stanley Bay ferry remains closed.

I've written to Auckland Council requesting an update on these two core priorities for the North Shore, arguments that funding is an issue don't hold any water while they post huge surpluses and continue to cut services. 

I'm also keeping up to date with the concerns of our community over the heritage protections in places like Devonport. We supported changes to the Resource Management Act to help boost the supply of homes by reducing the consenting red tape that can stop new housing being built in high-demand areas.

The new law retains discretion for councils and allows them to exclude some areas from intense housing development. 

This means that Auckland Council has options to protect the special character of our communities and to make sure housing is built. They are now undertaking heritage zoning classification, and I will be engaging actively with them as they make these assessments.