Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Thank you all for being here.

And thank you for being in the team that’s going to change the Government and Get New Zealand back on track!

It’s my pleasure to acknowledge our excellent Party President Sylvia Wood and all of our Board who have worked so hard to re-energise our party. And National’s incredibly driven Campaign Manager Jo de Joux, and all of our campaign team working so hard to Get New Zealand back on track!

I welcome my very good friend and our brilliant deputy Nicola Willis.

Our super smart and hard-working Campaign Chair Chris Bishop.

Every National MP in our caucus.

And now every National candidate.

The next 41 days are about getting as many of these fine people as possible into our National team in Parliament after October 14 and, if we’re successful, into the sixth National Government.

What a team and what incredible talent!

The more of them we bring into Parliament, the stronger National will be. The stronger National is, the better we’ll sweep away the culture of excuses, inaction, working groups and mush that’s holding New Zealand back, and the faster we’ll set a new direction, bring back New Zealand’s mojo, and Get New Zealand ... Back on Track!

So, who will you give your party vote to? National.

Say it again … National.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have to win this election.

We have to win it for every New Zealander who’s trying to do the right thing, but can’t get ahead.

We have to win it for the young couple I met who bought their first home off the plans a year or two ago. But what should have been a time of great excitement getting into their home, has instead been dominated by fear and worry.

Interest rates have risen so quickly that the bank told them they might no longer be able to get finance, and if that happened, they’d lose their deposit - their life savings.

They said to me, “We work long hours, we’ve saved since we had our first jobs. How can this be happening to us? How can it be so hard?”

National says it shouldn’t be so hard to buy your first home in New Zealand.

And I say to aspiring and young homeowners, hang on - help is coming. You will be better off with a National Government.

We also have to win this election for the farmers I meet.

Farmers tell me that compliance costs and endless regulation from councils and government, on top of inflation, high interest rates, and the struggle to find workers, just pile up until something breaks.

What’s breaking is the will of many rural people to keep going.

One farmer said to me, “This was our grandparents’ farm. They passed it to my Dad, and my Dad passed it to me. He said, “I wanted to keep it for my kids, but now I hope they do something else because this is just too hard.”

National says it shouldn’t be so hard to be a farmer in New Zealand.

So, I say to farmers and rural communities, hang on – help is coming! You will be better off with a National government.

National has to win this election for the owners of dairies and other small businesses who used to make their shopfronts attractive, but now look to see where they might install concrete bollards, cameras and security screens.

These small business owners have sacrificed a great deal to own their own businesses. They are trying to get ahead and want to be independent. Those are values that National supports, yet some business owners prepare for opening the shop each day as though they are preparing for battle.

Here in Auckland one dairy owner said to me: “My family started with nothing. We have worked for everything we’ve got. Every weekend, every public holiday, we work. But we’ve been robbed three times in the past 10 months. I’m scared to leave anyone alone in the shop. How can it be so hard to run a retail business in New Zealand?”

So, I say to those retailers and small business owners hang on – help is coming.

You will be better off under a National Government.

We have to win this election for every person doing the family shop at the supermarket, who no longer takes their kids with them because saying “no” so often is as hard on them as it is on the kids.

Nicola and I were talking the other night, about what supermarket check-out operators are experiencing with increasing frequency.

A shopper will watch anxiously as their items are rung up on the till, and the checkout operator will sense the person’s growing concern. Then the customer will reach out their hand and say, “I’m sorry, you have to stop. I need to put some items back”.

When it happens, the checkout operator feels their shame and thinks, “Please don’t apologise. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Right now, it’s tough for all of us”.

So, supermarket workers are asking the same question as their customers: “how can it be so hard to simply do the shopping in New Zealand?”

I say to all those people, and to every one of you here today, hang on – help is coming.

You will all be better off under a National government.

I know that most New Zealanders, regardless of who we are or where we live, are trying to do the right thing.

We’re getting our kids to school each day, we’re doing our best to pay our bills and taxes on time, we’re working hard, cutting costs where we need to so we can live within our means.

But with rampant inflation, record food prices, huge increases in interest rates, high taxes, and a shrinking economy, most of us are going backwards.

New Zealand should be a country where if you work hard, you can get ahead. And a National government I lead will restore that fundamental promise of what it means to be a New Zealander.

New Zealanders are frustrated at going backwards and worried that everything feels broken. But there’s nothing that cannot be fixed.

New Zealand and New Zealanders are not broken; we just need a good government that will unite us and get things working again.

New Zealand is the best country on earth, we have unlimited potential and everything we need to be successful - the best people, a country bang smack in the middle of the Asia Pacific region, and a liberal democracy with strong social institutions and an acute sense of fairness.

There are no excuses for why we can’t do exceptionally well and be one of the leading, advanced small countries in the world.

Imagine - a New Zealand with a more productive economy that creates higher wages and salaries for us all. A New Zealand where a world class education sets all kids up well, a country that embraces technology and innovation, that has modern and reliable infrastructure.

Imagine a New Zealand where a young couple paying the deposit on their first home aren’t crippled by the process, where a farmer is proud to invest in the land they will hand to the next generation, where the corner store is not at risk of being a crime scene, and where families have more money in their back-pockets to pay for the groceries.

Imagine a health care system that is there when we need it – without wringing out the health workforce day after day; a society that creates opportunity for people to follow their Kiwi Dream, whatever that may be, that looks after our most vulnerable, and gets beyond the bumper stickers and actually tackles climate change with a proper plan.

That’s why I’ve come to politics. Because I know New Zealand can be so much better than this.

I’ve spent my whole life sorting things out, solving problems, and getting things done. And should I have the privilege of becoming Prime Minister, I will dedicate every day that I am in government to making this a better country.

Since becoming Leader of this party nearly two years ago, I’ve clocked up hundreds of thousands of kilometres going all over the country listening to people.

I’ve visited the most inspiring schools, the most productive businesses, the most environmentally-friendly farms and I have listened to what New Zealanders need and want.

And I have thought deeply about some of the things that I want every New Zealander to know that a National government will achieve.

So, I’m pleased to announce to you all today my eight-point pledge and commitment to the New Zealand people.

So, here it is. I personally guarantee that:

One: A National-led government will lower inflation and grow the economy so that we ease the cost of living and create better-paying jobs.

Two. National will let you keep more of what you earn.

We will provide tax relief up to $250 a fortnight for an average income household with young kids, and up to $100 a fortnight for an average income household without kids, and a single median income earner will get $50 a fortnight.

Three. We will build infrastructure.

We’ll deliver the 13 new Roads of National Significance, and the four major public transport upgrades that we announced recently. A First World country needs modern and reliable infrastructure and we’re the Government that will deliver it – just like we delivered Ultra Fast Broadband and the Waikato Expressway.

Four. We’ll restore law & order.

We’ll back Police to tackle gangs, establish boot camps for serious young offenders, and we’ll limit the amount that judges can discount sentences so they better reflect the seriousness of the crime.

Offenders are going to know there’s been a change of government. And it’s no wonder the gangs are right now campaigning so openly for the other side.

Five. We’ll lift school achievement because right now, it’s difficult to call ourselves an advanced country when fewer than half of our Year 8s are ready for high school, and half of our 15 year olds fail the most basic Maths, Reading & Writing test.

That’s a future social and economic crisis we must avoid. I’m determined we will teach our kids an hour of maths, reading and writing in every classroom every day and they will have better lives because of it.

Six. We will cut health waiting times by training and retaining more doctors, nurses and midwives. We’ll also give Kiwis access to 13 more cancer treatments.

Seven. We’ll support seniors.

We’ll increase New Zealand Superannuation every year and boost it with our tax relief plan which will see a superannuitant couple get an additional $26 a fortnight. And yes, we’ll keep the winter energy payment and deliver better access to healthcare.

And, the final pledge: We will deliver Net Zero by 2050, including by doubling New Zealand’s renewable electricity generation, and by giving farmers the technology and tools they need to reduce agricultural emissions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that’s my pledge to you and to all New Zealanders. It’s a simple eight-point manifesto that will be the bedrock commitments of a government I lead. This pledge will focus us in government, and every New Zealander will know our priorities.

New Zealanders want to do better, not just for themselves but for each other, and for our country. We can achieve that. We can get some wins on the board that will restore confidence, remind us that we can compete with the best in the world, and together, we will realise all the incredible potential we have in this great country of ours. We will Get New Zealand … Back on Track!

National friends, we have come so far together over the last 2 years.

But I have to tell you “power doesn’t concede easily”. The next 30 days until early voting starts, and the next 42 days to election day will be challenging.

We’ve already seen we’ll be up against a campaign based on fear and disinformation; a campaign that’s negative and personal. That’s what you do when you have no record to run on and no ideas to take the country forward.

The other side might be worried about losing an election, but I'm worried about Kiwis losing their homes, Kiwis who don’t feel safe, can’t access timely healthcare or get a good education. National can take 42 days of attacks, but this country can't take three more years of the same old politics and the same failed policies. There’s too much at stake - it's time for something new.

The question in this election is not "Are you better off than you were six years ago?" We know the answer to that. The real question is, "How do we make this country, and all New Zealanders, better off three years from now?"

National is going to stay focused on your needs. We’ll block out the noise, we will take nothing for granted, and we will fight to the end. We’re going to fight this election campaign as though New Zealand’s future depends on it – because it actually does and so much is at stake.

This election is going to be a defining moment in New Zealand’s history and an election that will shape this country for generations to come.

So, there can be no complacency, no slowing down. And so every leaflet you deliver, every hoarding you host, every meeting you attend, every call you make and every door you knock on, every positive conversation you have with your neighbours and friends, every National social media post you interact with, every dollar you raise, every support you can give our MPs and candidates, and every undecided voter you can help come our way and encourage to vote, will be the difference. That's how we'll change the government.

I know we can do this. New Zealanders want change. They want to get ahead. And in 42 days, they can choose a National government that will go to work for them.

Thank you all for being here.

Thank you all for working so hard for every party vote for National.

Let’s go to work and win this general election, and Get New Zealand … Back on Track!

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