More freedom for Small Business'
Horowhenua and Kapiti are built on the back of small businesses. When these 7,700 plus businesses do well our districts prosper.
Last year a Senior Economist said our region’s performance had slowed and “we’ve taken the foot off the accelerator”, but we were still going forwards.
Times have changed since then and the region is suffering. In the past six months we have lost more than 100 jobs with Feltex closing its Foxton operations and Wilcox and Beardsley Pearce in Levin both also closing their doors. The Daily Chronicle has also been affected. These have been high profile job losses and no doubt other businesses are struggling with higher costs and squeezed margins.
We all know that our weekly budget is being hit by high fuel prices, interest rates, power, and food bills. The terrible weather we have been having won’t help either, so be prepared for vegetables to rocket up in price due to the sodden soil we have in Horowhenua. Market gardeners tell me they are two months behind in harvesting and replanting, and that crops are rotting in the ground.
The upside is we have a fantastic district with great people and most of us have been through tough times before and we know how to adjust and soldier on.
When I spoke to the business community at the Electra Business breakfast last week I highlighted how a National Government would address some of these issues and help streamline businesses –so they are less bogged down in bureaucracy and more focused on lifting productivity.
Getting the incentives right is about rewarding those that work hard and providing them with the opportunity to get ahead. National’s tax programme (to be announced in the election campaign) will go some way to reducing the exodus of Kiwi families to Aussie. Labour has opposed tax cuts for nine years, but has now been forced to offer hard working kiwis $16 per week from October 1. Most workers tell me it’s “too little too late”.
National has also announced plans to introduce a three month trial period to encourage small businesses to expand. This 90-day probation period (with good faith provisions applying and agreement needed with both parties) will allow employers to take a punt on employing someone and provide both with increased flexibility.
We have also promised to reduce compliance costs on small businesses. Since 1999, Labour has passed more than 2000 new laws and regulations with little cost-benefit analysis. Surveys show that small companies have a compliance burden three times higher than large ones.
In Horowhenua, we need to attract more skilled jobs and more skilled workers. Right now, thousands of young New Zealanders (about 20%) are alienated from education and leaving school unable to read and write or without any qualification. National wants to repower trades training in schools to ensure we don’t lose our ability to work with our hands!
Getting high speed broadband will also help us here in the Horowhenua and National has announced a plan to roll out fast broadband as a priority to New Zealanders. Fibre to the home will deliver huge economic benefits for our region, in terms of enhanced productivity, improved global connectivity, and enhanced capacity for innovation.
People tell me the Resource Management Act (RMA) is costly and stifling growth, so we have plans to reform it within our first 100 days in Government, if successful. We are keen to enhance our environmental obligations for future generations to enjoy while also capturing economic opportunities. This will allow us to quickly get on with projects like Transmission Gully, rail electrification extension and water storage options vital for the Horowhenua and Kapiti districts.
National has a vision for the future under Leader John Key. Small businesses power our local economy and we want less regulation, less compliance and more freedom to allow you to get on and do the job.
John Key told about 600 supporters at a rally in Levin earlier this month that National will release the shackles and unclog the arteries to repower New Zealand. This is just what Horowhenua needs!