Marja Lubeck –
Labour List MP based in Kaipara ki Mahurangi
Our Government has a very clear vision for New Zealand’s future. It’s one where our economy provides security and opportunities for every New Zealander and their family. It’s one where everyone has a healthy, affordable place to call home. It’s one where all of us have access to world-class healthcare. It’s one where we look after our environment for generations to come.
We have worked hard to put in place the foundations for this future, and as we mark five years since coming into Government, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on our progress so far.
Despite COVID causing the greatest economic downturn in New Zealand since the Great Depression, our economy is in a good position. Thanks to our strong economic management, debt is low, exports are up, and our economy is larger now than before
the pandemic.
We have more people in work, with higher wages, which makes both families and our economy strong. We’ve also seen child poverty continue to improve, and measures such as our Families Package, minimum wage increases, benefit increases, and free lunches in schools have helped to lift families’ wellbeing.
Turning around New Zealand’s record on child poverty wasn’t the only big, long-term challenge that we were elected to fix. The housing crisis is a problem that has been decades in the making, and while there’s no easy solution, the actions that we’ve taken are already making a real difference.
Housing supply is ramping up, we’ve changed the law to make renting fairer, and we’ve successfully tipped the balance in favour of first home buyers. We’re speeding up the scale and pace of house building through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, and we’ve built more public and transitional houses than any Government in decades.
We’re also making good progress on our plan to make sure that everyone in New Zealand has access to world-class healthcare. We’re upgrading hospitals and health centres and training more nurses and doctors. We’ve put in place more mental health support, boosted Pharmac’s funding, and extended free GP visits to all children under 14, and lots more.
We’ve also made tackling climate change a priority, and thanks to the actions that we’ve taken since 2017, such as passing the Zero Carbon Act and supporting businesses to switch to cleaner energy, New Zealand is on track to bend the curve of our emissions downwards for the first time in history.
It can sometimes be easy to forget just how far we’ve come since 2017, particularly as we’ve all faced a global pandemic and economic shock.
While there’s still more work to do, I’m incredibly proud of our Government’s record.
