the act party

David Seymour is celebrating a bumper 2023.

The Act Party leader and Minister of Regulation says he's proud of the campaign he ran and is looking forward to working with two other coalition parties next year.

He says he was delighted to meet so many people and check out so many businesses on the campaign trail.

Seymour told Tim Dower Act broke ground in ways it hadn't before.

He says Brooke Van Velden's win in Tamaki was amazing and even better than he expected.

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Act will have 11 seats in the new Parliament, with Brooke van Velden taking the previously safe National seat of Tamaki. 

Leader David Seymour told Newstalk ZB's Election Special that the challenge is now to use their increased influence in a National-led government. 

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ACT's leader is pitching his party as the way to create a government that can put New Zealand on the right track. 

Herald poll of polls shows National and Act have only a 28.5% chance of getting into Government without New Zealand First. 

David Seymour told Mike Hosking why people should vote for him. 

He said that those who want real change and stability should party vote ACT. 

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ZB political editor Jason Walls spoke to Heather about National having to admit their tax cuts won't cover everyone, the polls showing Winston will be needed, Chris Hipkins spending the week in lockdown, and where things stand for the last week of the campaign.

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Act leader David Seymour's putting the latest poll result down to telling hard truths not everyone wants to hear.

Both the Tax Payer Curia poll and the Talbot Mills Research poll both have the party on nine percent.

In one of those polls Act has fallen by 5 percent.

Seymour told Heather du-Plessis Allan he won't shrink from taking on the challenges the country faces.

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With a week and a day to go voting, you would have to say the biggest disappointment of this campaign is Act.

We have got a couple of polls out today:

The Taxpayers Union Curia poll and the Talbot Mills research poll both have Act in the single digits for the first time in their polling since April.

ACT has been sliding this entire campaign and a lot of it will be because of David Seymour’s performance.

In the debate last night, and in the TV3 minor leaders debate 2 weeks ago he was not flash. 

He was like a robot.

He was too serious.  

The fighting with Winston is getting a little silly and he just over-talked.

He was like AI: you type in a question, hit enter, and it just keeps going for minutes on end 

And it’s a bummer because this is not the David Seymour that we know.

We got used to the guy with the sense of humour, who said the French the coq, who twerked on TV against all advice, who was basically the leader of the opposition for most of the last three years.

Where's that guy gone? 

I think he’s lost his confidence.

Political insiders know that he lost his star staff member, his media advisor earlier this year and I think we expected ACT to sort of stumble a bit after that but not this much. 

On the polls out today, ACT has lost as many as a third of its voters.

I can’t think of a bigger collapse in a vote during a campaign since Metiria Turei blew up the Greens with her benefit fraud admission 

But for the Greens, at least you could blame it on one single bad decision. 

For ACT, it’s baffling, and it’s more like they’ve run out of steam.

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ACT’s David Seymour joined Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking on the Minor Leaders Breakfast for an intense thirty-minute interview, to see if they have what it takes to make a difference in New Zealand. 

Their party may be minor, but their policies aren’t. 

Mike Hosking asked the questions New Zealander’s need answered to see if the policies and the politicians can hold up under pressure. 

Will the minor parties be able to make a difference when it comes to crime, education, the economy, or the climate? 

Does ACT have the ability to create “real change”? 

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Chris Luxon says National would work with New Zealand First if it had to, and he thinks Labour would do the same.  

He's confirmed his position this morning after weeks of questions.  

Labour and New Zealand First have both ruled each other out, but Luxon believes both could still choose each other.  

Luxon says David Seymour and Winston Peters would find a way to work with each other. 

But the ACT leader told Mike Hosking he doesn't think he'll be able to sit around the same Cabinet table as Peters. 

“If he’s making those demands, it’s because he is using the leverage that he might otherwise go with Labour. If that’s the case, then I think people have everything they need to know that they can’t trust the guy.” 

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ACT is promising a huge shake-up to the education system, aiming to hold underperforming schools to account. 

Its new education policy would crack down on ECE providers that don't teach children the basics. 

The party would increase surprise visits to early childhood providers and penalise those failing standards. 

Leader David Seymour told Kate Hawkesby that they need to start thinking out of the box and find new ways to make the education system work. 

He said that if they don’t, New Zealand runs the risk of losing its first world status.  

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Today on Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings John MacDonald was joined by ACT Leader, David Seymour.

John asked him if he felt that voters would now look to the smaller parties after last night's Leaders' Debate. They also talked about why his party is against co-governance, and how his policies on law and order will bring crime under control in New Zealand. 

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Today on Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings John MacDonald was joined by ACT Leader, David Seymour.

John asked him if he felt voters could now look to the smaller parties after last night's Leaders Debate. They also talked about why his party is against co-governance, and how his policies on law and order will bring crime under control in New Zealand. 

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According to Act, drug addicts will face the prospect of losing their benefit if they refuse treatment or don't make more effort to find work. Act also wants to reduce the current number of 4000 people who receive the supported living payment because of stress.  

70 percent of them have been receiving that payment for more than five years. ACT argues stress is a condition that can be treated over time, not a permanent incapacity.  

Act also says 4100 people receive a benefit because they're addicted to drugs, and that's costing taxpayers $76 million a year.  

About 2700 of them are on the job seeker benefit, almost 30 percent of them have received that for more than six years.  

David Seymour says someone who demonstrates no intention of, or motivation to, address their incapacity and become independent may find themselves ineligible for a benefit.  

So when I heard that, I thought that's the kind of hardline stuff many of us want. In fact, I may have railed about that in the past - just how frustrating it is that you've got so many jobs are begging, you have job seeker expos where people can turn up, but most of the people who turn up wouldn't be able to get the job because they have drugs in their system.  

They would fail any kind of drug testing and it’s infuriating and it's frustrating. And now finally, we've got someone who's got a realistic chance of getting into a role of decision making and now my trembling, wobbly lefty self is starting to manifest itself going but these people are not well, you know, they're addicts.  

It's unfair. You know, I don't think once you're in the grip of that kind of addiction, you're capable of making rational choices.  

We heard from a couple of former drug addicts on Friday when we were talking about shoplifting and they said they were shoplifters because they spend all their benefit on drugs. That was the priority.  

One of the women said there was plenty in the benefit, absolutely you could live on the benefit if you live a relatively frugal life, but they spent the benefit on the drugs and then they stole the necessities they required food, personal toiletries and the like. Everything they had went on drugs.  

So if they're not getting money legitimately, they will do what they have to do to get drugs. And that will probably mean stealing more.  

And where are these mythical drug and alcohol dependency counsellors? So many people we've heard from who are trying to get their children or their loved one's psychological counselling. Just can't get it. 

Counsellors themselves are frustrated that they can't offer counselling this and you happen to be Maori, Pacifica or young.  

I don't know much about stress and how that might incapacitate you or anxiety. But the one thing I know is do people really want to move on a benefit? I don't think so.  

I don't think there are many people who would choose that as a lifestyle. Sme sure, augmented by a but little light criminal activity on the side, but I think for many people it's an existence. It's not a living. You exist and barely.  

If there are huge drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics that are just begging for people to come in and be treated successfully, and drug addicts aren't making the most of it? Well, fine. But I don't think there are.  

You can go private and that costs an absolute fortune. For anyone who has somebody who they love who's been in the thrall of addiction, is it going to work cutting off the benefit?  

And just say get treated, get well, or you're on your own. I'm not entirely sure. I am no expert at all, but I would love to hear from people who are and people who have been there, done that.   

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David Seymour claims his welfare policy will help people help themselves.  

Under Act's proposal, drug addicts could lose their benefit if they refuse treatment or don't make efforts to find a job.  

It would also apply to people with mental health issues like stress who don't seek help.   

Seymour told Kerre Woodham we need to ask tough questions about our system. 

“Should Government policy assume that people are forever victims or should it be based on the idea that people can make a difference in their own lives?” 

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David Seymour claims his welfare policy will help people help themselves.  

Under Act's proposal, drug addicts could lose their benefit if they refuse treatment or don't make efforts to find a job.  

It would also apply to people with mental health issues like stress who don't seek help.   

Seymour told Kerre Woodham we need to ask tough questions about our system. 

“Should Government policy assume that people are forever victims or should it be based on the idea that people can make a difference in their own lives?” 

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A former work and income boss is calling part of Act's welfare policy incredibly brave.

Deputy leader Brooke van Velden spoke over the weekend, about electronic management of people on income support.

It means issuing money cards to people who've been on benefits for a long time which can only be used to buy essentials.

Former WINZ CEO, Christine Rankin says that's reasonable and sensible.

She says no politician ever seems to have the courage to take such steps.

She says trapping people on the benefit is disgusting.

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A view ACT's new housing policy sounds good in theory - but is a step too far in reality.   

The party's unveiled its housing policy - which would see builders able to use insurance companies as an alternative authority for consenting - to speed up the process.  

It aims to cut local councils out of the consenting process.  

Property commentator Ashley Church told Kate Hawkesby he believes in getting rid of bureaucracy - but this policy is all over the place. 

“I think there’s a risk with this that you’ll end up with shoddy housing – you'll end up with some equivalent of what happened with leaky homes back in the late 90s and we’ll be right back in that space again.” 

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A view ACT's new housing policy sounds good in theory - but is a step too far in reality.   

The party's unveiled its housing policy - which would see builders able to use insurance companies as an alternative authority for consenting - to speed up the process.  

It aims to cut local councils out of the consenting process.  

Property commentator Ashley Church told Kate Hawkesby he believes in getting rid of bureaucracy - but this policy is all over the place. 

“I think there’s a risk with this that you’ll end up with shoddy housing – you'll end up with some equivalent of what happened with leaky homes back in the late 90s and we’ll be right back in that space again.” 

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ACT Leader David Seymour's taken issue with comments made by Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson, calling them divisive and ineffective.

In his final speech of the parliamentary term yesterday, Jackson said Maori have a different set of rights because they're recognised as the indigenous people of the country. 

Seymour told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it's the first time he's heard a Labour MP explicitly say the Treaty of Waitangi means some people have different rights than others.

He claims that's not true and not supported by the Treaty, which he argues says we all have the same rights and duties.

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ACT leader David Seymour maintains fees-free tertiary education is on the scrap heap if his party gets sway after October's election.

It comes after National this week reserved its position on the policy, saying it won't abolish the promise despite campaigning for that in 2020.

Seymour says this is about taking a principled position.

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First up, and this is something that I know is near and dear to all our hearts: ACT has vowed to crack down on the public services.

As they pointed out yesterday, Government spending has grown from $80.6 billion a year in 2017 to $137 billion in 2023. New Zealanders, including Labour voters, according to ACT’s polling, believe that public services are far worse now than they were a few years ago, and I think we’d agree with that, wouldn't we?

ACT says there's a growing disconnect between what the Government considers priorities and good performance, and the quality of services the public experiences. So, looking at the expensive and poorly thought out pet projects like restructuring the health or polytech systems, or the light rail, they are treated as goals in and of themselves.

Ministers are so focused on getting their pet projects through that they lose sight of whether it's actually going to improve New Zealander’s lives. And ACT says that the problem is that performance reporting of public services is haphazard. Measures can be cherry picked. Results can be reported in a way that isn't coherent, and it's difficult or nigh impossible to track trends over time. 

So you don't know whether a policy or a plan is delivering because they don't track it. And we've seen that. 

I've had interviews with public officials on this show who haven't had a clue how to measure the success of a policy that is costing you and I millions and millions of dollars a day.  

So really at first reading, doesn't this make sense? 

We've been demanding to know the results of so many of the ideologically driven projects that Labour has put in and they can't tell us. But for those who do work in business or have worked in the public sector, can a Government department, should a Government department be run like a widget factory? Is it even possible to do so?

There are so many competing priorities for our tax dollars right now, and over the next few years, that we simply cannot afford to throw good money after bad. I want to know if these projects are working. If they're not, we get rid of them, we try something else.

But are there any pitfalls in requiring the public service to perform professionally. 

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