Minister Seymour Addresses Hawke’s Bay Business Community

30 August 

The Honourable Minister David Seymour was in Te Matau-a-Māui/Hawke’s Bay on Friday, 30th August, where he served as the guest speaker to an engaged audience hosted by the Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to being the ACT Party Leader, Seymour holds several ministerial portfolios - Minister of Regulation, and Associate Minister of Education, Finance, Health (Pharmac), and Justice (Treaty Principles Bill).

Seymour centred his speech on three key components, ownership, spending, and regulation; with a particular emphasis on the importance of effective regulation.

Seymour highlighted the impact of over regulation can create vast amounts of form filing and increased costs. He also noted the complex regulatory process can deter individuals from engaging due to the fear of regulatory burden. He expressed concern that the time, resources, and money spent on regulation may not justify the benefits. Seymour is committed to ‘efficient and disciplined regulatory activities’ with the aim of making ‘New Zealand a better place to work, save and invest’.

Seymour frequently mentioned the Healthy School Lunch Programme. He provided the example of how reducing the cost per lunch from $8.61 to $3 will save $100 million a year. A concern of an audience member was the long-term impact on local businesses and suppliers in Hawke’s Bay who are currently providing these services; along with the nutritional value of the meal.

Minister Seymour responded to additional unscripted questions from the audience, including a query about the significant impact on rural communities resulting from the loss of school bus routes. He expressed genuine concern about the broader effects of these service cuts. Seymour clarified that the education portfolio is shared between himself and Minister Erica Stanford and committed to directly following up with both Minister Stanford and the concerned audience member.

The business community appreciates the visit and the opportunity to have an open discussion with Minister Seymour.

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