“Hello Manukau! Today I’m here to discuss a critical issue that I’ll be able to tackle if you return me to Wellington. Here outside of the Auckland city centre, rents are rising at an astounding pace, not keeping up with incomes. Manukau rents have soared by over 11% year on year. That’s insane, and it cannot continue.”

“Luckily, I and the rest of the National Party will enact new legislation to reduce rents by amending the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The RMA is the principal barrier to new housing being built, which means more people are competing for the same scarce thing: housing. This jacks up the rents for all of us in Manukau, as we have seen recently and it means that more of Manukau’s citizens will be harmed if nothing changes. The high rents mostly hurt the poorest among us, as the well-to-do can still afford to buy their way in. Here’s the bottom line: more housing needs to be built, and if we remove this bureaucracy and red tape we can have the private sector do it. And, it will come with an added benefit in the fact that it will not cost any tax whatsoever. That’s right, you’ll get to keep more of your hard-earned money and the rents will come tumbling down. It’s a win-win proposition, and only the National Party will fight for it from Manukau.”

“Now, you might be asking yourself why you should trust the Nats on this issue over the competition, especially when they pledge to get houses built too. Well, it is quite simple; I have worked in Parliament to get housing built with my colleagues in the National Party while the competition has totally ignored the issue. I voted in favour of B.84 - Resource Management (Reform) Amendment Bill, which would have achieved these goals. I, and my party, have had a clear and consistent stance on this important issue from the very start in fact. As a part of the strongest force in Parliament calling for serious housing reform last term, I have confidence that I will be able to deliver real legislative results this coming up one. Now let’s look at my competition from Labour. As an MP, KatieIsSomethingSad voted against B.84 and voted against getting more housing built in Manukau. Instead, she went with the status-quo, the 11% year on year rent increases status-quo. The Labour MPs did as well, even though they promised to repeal red tape like this in their party manifesto they ran on in the general election. Now, perhaps this would have been reasonable had there been an alternative. But when KatieIsSomethingSad joined the governing party of Labour, she didn’t help improve the housing situation at all. The government made heaps of promises regarding housing and protections for renters, but did absolutely nothing. They abandoned Manukau and simply used this fine community as votes.”

“If elected as your MP, I will not run on lies, break promises, or abandon our community like the left has here. Should the people of Manukau send me to Wellington as their MP, I will fight my hardest to pass the sorts of measures we need on housing. I am the only one running here with a clean record on this issue, and I will put policy into place which brings your rents down. Manukau should not settle for anything less than quality representation, and that’s why I ask that you all vote two ticks for National this General Election, since that’s what we’ll deliver.”

“God defend New Zealand and may God save the Queen!”