Ready to take back seat for National

National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis was in Gisborne yesterday to support the election campaign of East Coast National Party candidate Dana Kirkpatrick.Picture by Paul Rickard

I will win East Coast,” vouches National’s East Coast candidate Dana Kirpatrick, who brought party deputy leader Nicola Willis to Gisborne yesterday.

Ms Kirkpatrick said East Coast had been a safe seat for previous National MP Anne Tolley. She predicted the cost of living, violent crime and public discontent with Labour would see the seat turn blue again.

Ms Kirkpatrick said she had been campaigning in the eastern Bay of Plenty part of the vast electorate with many voters giving her messages such as “not Labour again”.

She would soon be “out there” campaigning in Tairāwhiti.

Ms Willis said National strongly supported the Kirkpatrick campaign to help overturn a “tired and divided” Labour Government.

Her own visit to Gisborne would be quickly followed by a visit from party leader Christopher Luxon  on  Monday, August 7.

The 6331 majority for Labour’s Kiri Allan in 2020 had been an “anomaly” due to the Government’s then popular handling of the Covid-19 epidemic.

She said Ms Kirkpatrick was a strong local candidate well versed in the issues of the East Coast.

Ms Willis has been in the national news recently saying Labour plans to abolish GST on fruit and vegetables.

She said National’s tax plan, by comparison, was simple, efficient and fairer.

A National Government would change the tax brackets of income threshold levels at which tax rates increased.

The levels had remained constant for a long period of time meaning even relatively low-paid workers had moved into high tax brackets.

Ms Willis said the only winner was the Government because it earned more tax revenue.

Under National’s tax brackets an average earner would save $1000 in tax each year.

New Zealanders could save or spend their own money rather than have the government indulge in wasteful spending such as the RNZ/TVNZ merger, consultants and the income insurance scheme.

Many Kiwis were still waiting for cyclone rebuilding and recovery.

Ms Willis was asked if the National Party should be polling well ahead given Labour’s  resignations  and general turmoil.

She said National would campaign well.

New Zealanders could see that the country needed to be turned around. National was ready to turn the country around with a 100-day plan from a committed government.