Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

Thank you Tauranga for your support at the general election on November 26. It is a great privilege to be your local MP and to renew my contract with you for another three years. I pledge to be a strong voice for Tauranga in government and to continue to work hard for you and your family.

Since the election, the Prime Minister has been working hard to form a government with supply and confidence agreements with the United Future, Act and Maori parties. The purpose of all this is to form a strong, stable, National-led government during our term and to help us give effect to our policies, which are outlined in National's Post-Election Action Plan (a link to this plan is below).

Our Post-Election Action Plan covers our next steps in regard to the economy, welfare, law and order, education, health and rebuilding Canterbury. We want to begin work on all of these elements immediately.

On the economy, we want to balance the books, repay debt and create more jobs. Specific measures we'll undertake include halving the budget deficit next year; finalising departmental four year spending plans to ensure spending control targets are met; amending the RMA to have six-month time limits on consenting medium-sized projects; implementing our mixed ownership model to four SOEs; and reducing the government's stake in Air New Zealand, plus much, much more.

In welfare, our next steps include amending the Social Security Act to comprehensively reform benefits and focus on getting those who can work, back to work. In addition, we will introduce changes to sanction beneficiaries whose recreational use of drugs affects their ability to apply for and get a job. We will undertake an urgent review to make it easier to prosecute people who defraud the taxpayer and we will make changes so if someone is on the run from police, with a warrant out for their arrest, we can stop their benefit.

Other steps across various fields include more changes to bail laws to make it harder for those accused of the most serious crimes to get bail, setting a target of 98 per cent participation rates for new school entrants in early childhood education by 2015 and work to introduce new ECE services in areas of highest need.
In health, we will do such things as continue to increase the number of elective surgeries each year by at least 4000 and ensure all state houses built before 1978 that can be practically insulated, are insulated.

These policies I've mentioned give you merely a flavour of our Post-Election Action Plan. For more details visit http://www.national.org.nz/PDF_General/Post-Election_Action_Plan_.pdf