Committed to provincial New Zealand

wta260314lfkieran01.jpg Labour Party candidate for Wairarapa Kieran McAnulty.

Labour is committed to provincial New Zealand. That's my main message this campaign.
My team and I have been knocking on doors most weekends these last few months. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many say they have never had someone knock on their door before, so they appreciate the opportunity to talk to a local candidate who is keen to hear their views.
One of the main questions I get asked is what is the difference between Labour and National. Obviously, I could go on all day about that but the main difference is evident - our respective approaches to Wairarapa's economy. Where National believes market forces will provide provincial economic growth, Labour believes the state has a role in encouraging regional development. We believe that the only way to stop economic activity being concentrated in the larger centres is to have a government that invests in it's regions.
When the current government came to power, manufacturing was New Zealand's largest employer. Now, it's the third. Since mid-2008, 42,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost. Many of those have been in provincial areas. Six years later, there is no sign of a recovery in manufacturing employment - factories are still closing. There are 1,700 fewer manufacturing companies than in 2008. Since mid-2008, annual manufactured exports have fallen by $2.6 billion, or 19%, after inflation.
The Government's lack of attention to export manufacturing is holding regions like Wairarapa back and denying us the chance to reach our potential.
If we are to keep our youth in Wairarapa once they finish school, we need to provide the jobs and opportunities they seek. Leaving things to the free market means those jobs and opportunities will be centralised in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as is occurring at the moment. Most of my mates from school are now living in such places, not here in Wairarapa where they grew up.
Last week, David Cunliffe announced Labour's manufacturing policy. This policy clearly demonstrates how Labour's priority is helping regions like Wairarapa grow.
Labour will:
• Support Kiwi businesses by ensuring that government agencies buy more Kiwi-made products, keeping thousands of jobs in New Zealand;
• Strengthen innovation, including through research and development tax credits
• Reform monetary policy to achieve a fairer and more stable exchange rate to give manufacturers a chance in international markets;
• Change the tax settings to direct more capital investment into the productive economy, rather than speculation in housing;
• Introduce measures to increase the national savings pool and improve access to capital for businesses
• Work to lower unnecessary compliance costs for businesses where consistent with workers' rights, environmental standards, and quality assurance;
• Give manufacturers a stronger voice in trade negotiations;
• Recognise manufacturing's role in creating jobs and adding value in national, regional, and industry development policies.
A healthy, growing export manufacturing sector is vital to building on the success of our primary industries, and creating an economy where all in Wairarapa benefit. That means creating growth and profits for our businesses and well-paying jobs for our people.
After all, that's what people I speak to tell me they want. They love living here but they know that espite all the good things happening here, Wairarapa is not reaching its potential. I tell them Labour has a plan and that Labour can be trusted to deliver for Wairarapa. I remind them that Labour delivered fiscal surpluses every year when last in government and that we reduced sovereign debt to zero. I also remind them that at each budget during this time National called for high-end tax cuts instead of reducing debt.
Now, after 6 years of a National Government, debt is now well over $70 billion.
This tends to make people think. Many then ask for one of my pamphlets.