Our country is a great one, but it may be better yet. Today, we face immense challenges in our society and the political system has failed to deliver the solutions that ordinary people demand. Our society faces severe ills and increasing division. Our government cannot deliver the basic services that we all rely on. Our economy has been stifled and mismanaged for months on end. Yet these problems are by no means insurmountable. Together, we have a unique opportunity to rise to the challenge and bring about a fresh sort of politics.

National can provide this fresh sort of politics that New Zealand so desperately needs. As a party, we have been working hard in Parliament to set a new paradigm for reform. We have passed new reforms to bring down your cost of living, take our electrical market reforms. We have brought about greater access to credit and stronger financial markets in a strong effort to strengthen the economy and make it more fair for the ordinary Kiwi. We have made KiwiSaver more flexible, giving us all more control over our own savings. We took on monopolies by giving the Competition Commission more tools to make the economy work for everyone. Our moderate, reforming record is still only a preface of what could come. It is only a taste of what a government that works for everyone could look like.

This manifesto has bold, carefully-considered measures to get our country back on track. Read our plan for economic reform for instance—we will use a sensible mixture of reduced taxation, efficient public investment, trade liberalisation, optimisation of our state-owned enterprises, prudential deregulation, and the right market intervention to deliver higher productivity, higher wages, and more jobs across the country. This won’t just go to the few or to the cities; our plan will work for all New Zealanders. No party has such a grasp on the economy. No other party can steer the country towards sensible fiscal management.

Of course, we are more than the economy. National has policy to make our justice system more effective at keeping us safe while also turning it into one which has greater respect for our civil liberties. We will fight for the regions and ensure that there is more equitable development. We will support Māori needs and address poverty in ways that empower the individual. We will even take on the great international problems of our time. Climate change, conflict, and human rights are all addressed through ambitious measures from the carbon tax to new sanctions legislation.

There are far more measures to be found. This manifesto truly has a comprehensive selection of policy. From health reform, urgent given systemic failures at DHBs, to housing, this manifesto will address the great demands of our times. I invite you to scrutinise it, read it, and adopt it.

None of these policies may come to fruition without we all come together. All the problems weigh down on us, but without our collective effort they can never be addressed. It is only through a united, strong show of support that the great crises which threaten this country can be addressed. It is only with a strong government that we can begin to clean up past errors and begin anew. We need a collective effort to bring about a new brand of politics which is more just, fair, and pragmatic. Our combined strength can allow us to do anything and rise to any challenge.

This election, I am inviting all people across this country to make the reforming choice. Join us, and we can usher in a bold, different style of politics that this country has sorely lacked. Today is your chance to rise to this occasion. My only question is this: will you?

- FinePorpoise MP

Leader of the the New Zealand National Party.