Key Notes - North American Trip
new-zealand-national-party
Thu Jul 12 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Key Notes - North American Trip
Thursday, 12 July 2007, 10:37 am
Column: New Zealand National Party
John Key: Key Notes
North American Trip
In the last week of June I had a very useful trip to North America with National's Trade and Foreign Affairs spokesmen, Tim Groser and Murray McCully.
We met a number of senior officials in the United States and Canadian governments, including John Negroponte, the US Deputy Secretary of State, and Stephen Harper, the Canadian Prime Minister.
Our meetings were very warm. We wanted to build the kind of relationships that will be useful should National be in government next year.
One of the issues we raised consistently in Washington DC was our desire to seek a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US. Australia already has an FTA and we are concerned that, because of this, it is a more attractive investment destination than New Zealand. We stressed that Americans and Kiwis share many common values, and an FTA would help develop that relationship further.
Watch my video from Washington DC here http://johnkey.co.nz/index.php?/archives/169-VIDEO-Journal-13,-from-Washington,-DC.html, and from Canada here http://johnkey.co.nz/index.php?/archives/167-VIDEO-Journal-12-from-Ottawa.html
Turbo-charging charities
Last week I spent a bit of time closer to home. I visited several community groups in West Auckland with Paula Bennett MP, our Community Programmes spokeswoman.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
We went to the Friendship Centre Trust in Glen Eden, which runs an emergency shelter for women and children, and the Genesis Training Centre, which offers youth training to 16-19 year olds. We also visited Man Alive in Henderson, an organisation that helps men and boys confront problems in their lives.
I continue to be blown away by the energy, enthusiasm and innovation that our community groups have, the help they quietly provide to struggling New Zealanders, and the huge amount of hard work their volunteers put in.
That's why National wants to turbo-charge community groups. When Kiwis help each other out, they strengthen our communities so much more than strategies and initiatives dictated from Wellington.
Higher for longer
I've heard from a lot of people who are deeply concerned about rising interest rates. Many young families are really hurting as their mortgage payments get bumped up.
The Reserve Bank has repeatedly warned Labour that its big spending plans are putting pressure on interest rates. Because of Labour, interest rates and the dollar will stay higher for longer. Young families, householders and exporters will pay the price - and there's no tax relief in sight.
Budget papers released last week by Treasury show that not only is Labour unwilling to deliver tax cuts, it's counting on tax to rise through bracket creep to fund more of its runaway spending.
It's rich for Michael Cullen to claim that hard-working Kiwis don't deserve tax cuts because they'll just spend them, when, all the while, he's busy spending up big and putting more and more pressure on mortgage rates.
Labour keeps trying to say that the economic climate is someone else's problem, but the Treasury papers lay a good portion of the blame back in its lap.
Booted out of the House
I've been replaced this week by my Youth MP, Sam Jackson, from Massey High School.
Every few years we hold a Youth Parliament where each MP nominates a young person to take their seat in the House for a few days and debate the issues that concern them. It gives Youth MPs a taste of how our democracy works, and gives MPs a chance to see our country through fresh eyes.
I chose Sam because he's passionate about multiculturalism, and the insights we can gain when we become familiar with other cultures. I just hope he didn't get too familiar with the culture of Parliament - I'll need my seat back next week!
To watch three of National's Youth MPs talking about their time in Parliament, visit www.youthmp.co.nz
John Key MP
Leader of the National Party
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from New Zealand National Party on InfoPages.