Week that was: Three weeks to go!

This week was the first Leaders’ Debate. Debates are a great way for New Zealanders to get to know more about what a candidate stands for, what their values are, and what their agenda is for our country - and that’s exactly what Jacinda did. 

She demonstrated yet again why she’s the leader we need right now. She set out our five-point recovery plan, which is focused on investing in our people, creating jobs and supporting small businesses, and is already making a difference to the lives of New Zealanders. Now, more than ever, we need to make sure we don’t put on the brakes.

On Wednesday, Jacinda Ardern and Damien O’Connor were in Waikato to outline Labour’s plan to reduce costs for farmers and growers. Labour has set out a clear vision to transition to a carbon-neutral economy and today we committed to supporting our farmers and growers to achieve this goal. 

Running a farm or a growing operation is complex, with regulations and plans required for environmental management, biosecurity, animal welfare, and health and safety. We want to make that as easy to manage as possible. 

If re-elected, Labour will commit an initial $50 million to support integrated farm planning, making it easier and cheaper for farmers and growers to get on with the job. You can read more about our plan here.

On Thursday, Jacinda Ardern was in Christchurch, where she stopped by Rollickin’ Gelato to taste test their politically-themed gelato. She also stopped in to talk with small business owners at Riverside Market about how they’re getting on as our economic recovery gets underway.

On Friday, Labour’s finance spokesperson Grant Robertson went head-to-head against National’s Paul Goldsmith in RNZ’s finance debate. Grant Robertson talked about our plan to create jobs, support small businesses, invest in our people and protect our vital services, while paying down debt and managing the economy responsibly. You can read about our five-point plan in more detail here.

Today, we launched Labour’s Māori Manifesto, which sets out our priorities and commitments for Māori as we rebuild and recover. Together, Māori and Labour have walked a new path, one underpinned by partnership. We have started to tackle the big issues, but there is still much more to do.

Our Māori Manifesto sets out our commitment to continuing on the partnership path with Māori and looks to take bolder steps to create the change we need to finally realise the promise of Te Tiriti – Governance, Rangatiratanga and equality for all. You can check out the manifesto and read more about our plan to work together with Māori here.

And just in case you missed it, here’s a video of Jacinda Ardern taking a ride in Kieran McAnulty’s ute when she visited the Wairarapa last week:

Check back next week for the next installment of this weekly series, and back us on Election Day with two ticks for Labour.

Want to know more about Labour’s policies? Check out all the information you need to cast your vote on 17 October.