imnofox rallies constituents at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre to elaborate on his plan for revitalising provincial New Zealand

“Kia ora koutou, and thank you for all joining me out here today at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre to talk about the future of Whanganui! You know, I’ve talked a lot about how the coalition of cruelty’s war on workers has continued to leave provincial New Zealand longing for better. We know they have no plan to revitalise our regional economies, half the government is asleep all day, and the rest of them are too busy catering to comfortable Aucklanders.”

“Even this by-election is a great opportunity to finally get National to think about provincial issues. Here in Taranaki, we’re watching Auckland and Wellington really thrive, while our quality of life gets worse and worse. Again and again in parliament, we get zero commitment from the government for areas like Taranaki beyond water infrastructure. We’re told to wait for a budget that is already weeks late. This government has no plans for provincial New Zealand, and regions like Taranaki are suffering the brunt of it.”

“We can’t leave our workers in a lurch. Taranaki’s economy so far relies on dairying and oil drilling, two ultimately unsustainable industries, one of which has a fast-approaching retirement. As global carbon prices rise, which they will, as the world realises we can’t burn any more oil, then Taranaki will be in trouble. Look what happened to the West Coast when gold and coal mining dried up, so many areas of the West Coast are like ghost towns. We can’t let that happen here, but without diversifying Taranaki’s economy, without smart government support, Taranaki will suffer a similar fate. We can’t let that happen. Combined with the Coalition of Cruelty’s war on workers, the decline of industry will be the death of this electorate.”

“We can make Taranaki the capital of clean energy, and export our innovations to the world. Already New Zealand is falling behind in the international race to develop marine energy technology. It’s a global growth industry, and research centres have been established in the United States, Europe, and even Australia. It’s a new industry, reducing Taranaki’s reliance on extractive industries, creating new job opportunities for Taranaki.”

“But as these industries change, we need to create real opportunities for workers in this electorate to gain new skills, to re-train, without putting them out of pocket. In government with Labour, we scrapped fees for students’ first year of tertiary study, but that was just not ambitious enough. For transformative change, we need to ensure everyone in this country can easily access education throughout their lifetime. Not only do we need to make education accessible for new students, but allow adult learners to gain new skills at any point in their life, at little to no cost.”

“Along with scrapping fees for young students, we’d give adult learners an allowance of up to six years of barrier-less study to use over their lifetime to gain new skills for career development and re-train for new jobs in new industries. The opportunities of being able to head back to polytech or a trades school to kickstart a new career are massive.” “As the Coaliton of Cruelty cuts wages, cancels people’s retirements, and tears apart our social support systems, workers are being abandoned through this time of increasing economic insecurity. Along with a living wage, a fair pension scheme, and a strong safety net to catch you when you fall, expanding access to adult education under a Green government is an investment in people. It’s making life work for everyday New Zealanders who can’t rely on a trust fund to get by.”

“We need to ensure every worker in New Zealand, and especially in regions already suffering economic upheaval, can gain the right skills for new industries, like the clean energy industry, and help us address the climate crisis. Finally, nobody will be shut out of education because they just can’t afford it or make time for it. Tomorrow’s jobs, especially here in Taranaki, will be in bright green industries. With the right policy levers, we can make the future work for everyone, not just the Auckland-based shareholders who vote for the ACT Party.”

“We need a fair deal for workers, a fair deal for the provinces, and that means a fair deal Taranaki. As the oil industry goes the way of the dinosaurs that feed it, the question is how do we respond. Under the Coalition of Cruelty, there is no response. Deregulation and neoliberalisation will leave Taranaki workers in a precarious perch, even forcing families and communities to leave this beautiful region for the big cities. But, alternatively, under the Greens, we can invest in our provinces and back our workers, creating new economic and social opportunities for this region. While the Coalition of Cruelty wages their war on workers, the Greens are standing firmly behind Taranaki workers, guaranteeing a fair and prosperous future.”

“The choice is stark. This by-election, send a message to the dozing politicians who’ve really taken this seat for granted. We can do better, and with the Greens in the Beehive, we will do better. Vote imnofox for Whanganui!”

the crowd cheered, overjoyed to finally see a positive future for a region long-neglected by the National-ACT alliance