“Prime Minister Chris Hipkins deserves no credit for fixing messes Labour made. For another day, he’s like a kid who messes up his room and wants a reward for tidying it. This time it’s the madcap scheme to lower speed limits, something ACT opposed from the get go,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Ironically, lowering speed limits was the one project where the Government actually delivered above its targets. It exceeded its target of lower speed limits on 10,000 kilometres of road, actually slowing people down on 11,000km. Too bad only Labour wanted to succeed at slowing Kiwis down, it was also their least popular transport policy according to Government research.

“ACT launched a petition against the policy late last year, it has received more than 20,000 signatures. Whether it’s getting kids to sport practice, getting to work, trucks delivering goods or tradies getting to jobs, people want to be able to move around quickly.

“When ACT revealed in October 2022 that $45 million had been spend on the policy. Transport Minister Michael Wood said, "It is ridiculous of ACT to suggest that Waka Kotahi should not properly resource this area" and that it was imperative for reaching the Government’s Road to Zero targets. Well, what does the Minister think now that his Government has dumped it? This just shows how poorly thought-out Labour’s policies are.

“Now they’ve spent the money and lowered the limits. We are poorer and slower, but the Government says the policy doesn’t make sense after all. The same can be said for other loopy policies.

“The Clean Car Standard always belonged on the scrapheap. When ACT revealed last year that the scheme could end up costing up to $1.1 million per tonne of CO2 reduced, Wood did a 180 to say the scheme was actually about “equity”. I guess they’ve now realised there’s nothing equitable about spending half a billion of taxpayer dollars subsidising the global automobile industry during a cost of living crisis.

“ACT says good riddance to these policies, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illogical policies that are making life harder for no practical purpose.

“A real policy bonfire would require Labour to torch so-called Fair Pay Agreements, the ute tax, Three Waters, the 39% tax rate, the Māori Health Authority, the Zero Carbon Act, the mortgage interest deductibility and Residential Tenancies Act changes, the bright-line test, the ban on oil and gas exploration, the ban on live animal exports, and many other policies.

“New Zealanders need real change, Hipkins u-turning on a tiny handful of policies isn’t fooling anyone.

“ACT has policy based that provides solutions to real problems. We’ve got extensive policy to address the cost of living crisis and provide tax relief to New Zealanders, to get kids back in school, to get more workers in the country, to make it easier for Kiwis to use their land, to create more infrastructure and more.”

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