Frod and supporters gather on the lakefront of Tekapo, ready for the campaign launch to begin

Kia ora everyone, thank you for coming out today. Today marks a significant day in this campaign, I am finally able to launch the model-frod for Te Waipounamu campaign, in one of my favourite parts of the world. (Its rather unfortunate about the weather however! (Rainy/Cloudy).

This is a vital election for the Labour party, as I noted in the campaign launch in Hamilton, and this electorate campaign is no different. We led the polls coming into the election, but once the endorsements came out yesterday, it became clear that Heartland are going to be difficult to beat. This does not worry me at this stage, though! I know that the people of Te Waipounamu will be eagerly looking forward to seeing the policy that both Labour and heartland bring forward.

As someone who grew up on a farm, I believe that I am the perfect person to take on the heartland party in this electorate, my upbringing means that I can see where farmers may be disillusioned by the traditionally political parties, where heartland may attack, and I truly believe that voting labour over heartland will have better outcomes for farmers.

To show the people this, Labour has released some policy in the Primary Industries/Rural Affairs area.

• Allocate more funding towards pest control, allowing farmers to deal with farming rather than the pests that come along with it. This is likely to be done in conjunction with DoC and local councils.

• Set up a special fund for dealing with the mental health of those working in the primary industries, especially farmers, and use this money to target groups within this that have traditionally had worse mental health outcomes, especially during climate shock.

• Continue to fund small community projects in rural towns, as ways to not only diversify the economy, but allow for further economic activity for when those working on farms have free time and money to spend.

• Continue to seal more roads, creating safer journies to work, home and town for those people who are living in areas that are not serviced by public transport.

• Look into re-opening rural health services that have closed in the last 10 years such as the Lumsden maternity clinic.

These policies show that labour cares about those living in rural areas, and that if people are going to vote for labour, its not urbanites that are going to fill those seats, but people who understand some of the key considerations that people living in rural areas have.

In addition to the rural affairs policy, in aid of Aoraki/Mt Cook national park being 30 minutes down the road, I would like to reveal some of Labour's conservation policy.

• Increase funding of DoC to create 2 new great walks in the next 5 years, bringing the total 13 (including the soon to open Humpridge Track in Southland).

• Ensure that populations of Tahr and deer in the national parks are not at a level where they are unsustainable, and if they do become unsustainable, even with hunter activity, undertake a cull of these species to ensure the safety of local fauna and flora.

• Introduce two new national parks, this will include the transition of the Coromanel Peninsula into mostly National Park, and for significant tracts of the Maniototo Plain to become a national park. These are already outstanding natural areas, that Labour believes to be important to preserve. If this policy were to be implemented consultation will occur, especially in the Maniototo Plain.

• The establishment of further breeding programmes for our native birds, including the establishment of Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island in Marlborough into a wildlife reserve, that will in the future be pest-free. In addition to further funding for already established wildlife reserves.

In all, Labour believes that this is implementing a strong policy footprint that people of New Zealand are going to get behind, I sincerely hope that people do go out and vote 2 ticks Labour, especially in Te Waipounamu.