Last Sunday marked one year since the 2014 General Election. Since then, we have been working hard to repay the trust that you have put in us by focusing on the things that will make a positive difference for you and your family.
We have a track record of keeping our promises and delivering results. Over the next two years we will continue providing the strong, stable government that New Zealanders expect and deserve.
Despite market volatility around the world and the recent drop in dairy prices, we have a solidly performing economy. Since the election last September, 49,000 new jobs have been created and the economy is expected to grow by 2 to 2.5 per cent in the year ahead.
We are making progress on some of the complex issues we promised to tackle, such as housing. We are addressing the supply issue with Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas. The latest building consent data shows that the house build rate in Auckland has grown at over 20 per cent per year since 2012 - the longest and strongest period of growth ever.
The KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme that came into effect on 1 April this year will help tens of thousands more first home buyers and young families to own their own home.
