Act Party candidate Rob Douglas confident party vote will get him into Parliament

Act Party Tukituki candidate Rob Douglas values properties in the Hastings and Napier CBDs as his day job. Photo / Warren Buckland

It’s only fair to get the Roger Douglas question out of the way first.

Rob Douglas, who is standing for the Act Party in Tukituki, is the nephew of party founder Roger Douglas.

Roger Douglas is best known for being the Minister of Finance in the fourth Labour Government. His sweeping economic reforms came to be known as “Rogernomics”.

In a recent open letter to voters ahead of the 2023 general election, Roger Douglas expressed misgivings about the direction Act’s now headed in and said he could not guarantee the party his vote come October.

“I’m very proud of Roger Douglas and his achievements in the 1980s,” Rob Douglas told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“The country was basically bankrupt and he undertook the tough decisions that we needed to get New Zealand back on its feet, and by the early 1990s, we were in a very good position and our productivity was nearly the highest it’s been.

“But subsequent governments have eroded that, and we’re now in a similar situation to what he faced in the mid-1980s.”

Rob Douglas was born and bred in Hawke’s Bay. He grew up on a farm 20 kilometres south of Havelock North and now owns a property valuation business.

He and wife Mel have three daughters - aged eight to 15 - who each go to public schools in Havelock North.

A long-time member and backroom staffer of Act, Douglas is after the party vote of Tukituki constituents. He’s number 16 on the party’s list and believes Act might end up with as many as 20 MPs.

Rob Douglas is eager for people to party vote Act in Tukituki. Photo / Warren Buckland.

“We need real change, and that’s what the Act Party stands for and that’s what we’re campaigning on,” said Douglas.

“You’ll see all of our advertising material includes the words ‘real change’, and that’s because we can’t afford to just change the government from Labour to National and have the same policies. We’ve done that in the past, and look where we are now.

“We actually need a real change in direction, and the Act Party will hold National to account - we will ensure New Zealand does see real change, but we do need more seats around the table to make sure that happens.

“The only way to get real change is: party vote Act.”