Self-employed lawyer and Filipino community advocate Paulo Garcia has been selected as National’s candidate in New Lynn for the 2023 General Election.

“I’m excited to get to work campaigning in New Lynn for a National Government that will strengthen our economy and deliver on the issues that matter, like reducing the cost of living,” says Mr Garcia.

“People in New Lynn want the best for their families and they work hard to give them that, but it’s getting harder to get ahead as the cost-of-living blows out thanks to Labour’s economic mismanagement. Renters in Auckland are paying $5,000 more per year than they were in 2017 and interest rate hikes – which are trying to put a lid on Labour’s runaway inflation – are sending mortgage repayments in West Auckland up by hundreds of dollars per week.

“Families in New Lynn are struggling to make ends meet before they even try to fill up their cars or buy groceries. National is the only party with a plan to reduce the cost of living and the ability to deliver on it. New Lynn is my home and it’s important to me that people here can succeed.

“National policies like FamilyBoost, which will provide up to $75 a week in tax rebates to help families cover the cost of childcare, will be a huge help to families in New Lynn dealing with the high cost of living.

“I’m passionate about giving our young people the best education they can get to set them on the right path and give them more opportunities in life and I’m thrilled with National’s new Teaching the Basics Brilliantly policy. It will give kids in New Lynn the skills they need to succeed by requiring primary and intermediate schools to spend an average of an hour each day on maths, an hour a day on reading and an hour a day on writing.

“Another issue National will focus on is restoring law and order. People in New Lynn just want to feel safe in their community and right now that is not the case. Victimisations, which include things like assaults, robberies and burglaries, were 36 per cent higher last year than in 2017 in our part of Auckland. National will crack down on serious youth offending by introducing Young Offender Military Academies and we’ll actually back our police to tackle gang crime.

“All of these policies are only possible if we elect a National Government and I’ll be campaigning relentlessly in New Lynn to make that happen.”

Authorised by J de Joux, 41 Pipitea Street, Wellington

Biographical notes

Paulo Garcia was born in San Juan, Philippines and moved to New Zealand almost 20 years ago. He is a self-employed lawyer and has worked as a lawyer for close to 30 years. He has also served as Honorary Consul General for the Philippines in New Zealand.

Paulo is a proud Pinoy Kiwi and is heavily involved with the local Filipino community, including as the founder of the Pinoys Go National Filipino support movement for National now called KASAMA and the New Zealand Philippines Business Council.

He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Philippines as well as a Bachelor of Laws. He holds a Certificate of Proficiency in Law from the University of Auckland.

Paulo was a National List MP from 2019 to 2020 and was New Zealand’s first MP of Filipino descent.

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