Act party leader David Seymour says last night’s election was a record result for his party, but Kiwis now have high expectations for change.
In a media stand-up today, Seymour said he feels the party has been given an enormous responsibility which they intend to deliver on.
“This country voted for change because it faces some real challenges and our job is to help this country overcome those challenges over the next few years,” he said.
The Act Party received 9 per cent of the preliminary party votes and won two electorates, giving them a total of 11 seats so far. Special votes are yet to be counted.
Seymour said while it was a great night for the Act Party, he doesn’t see getting elected as an achievement but an opportunity to do good.
“Now that people have entrusted us with their vote, we owe them big time to pay them back so that they get the change that they asked for,” he said.
Asked if he was ready to be the next deputy Prime Minister, Seymour said he’s ready to do whatever role is required.
“I just make the point that half a million people’s votes still haven’t been counted, so we’ll be tentatively working towards what a government looks like,’ he said.
He said first and foremost the Government has to cut wasteful spending, give victims of crime more rights than the perpetrators and have an honest conversation about the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s constitutional setting.
Asked if he was frustrated that he couldn’t get started on forming a government straight away, Seymour said you’ve got to respect every vote.
“I think everyone would like to have a decisive result on the night but that’s not how it works... When those [special votes] are counted we can say that we’ve truly heard everybody and respected that result,’ he said.
Seymour was speaking after Act had their first caucus meeting after the provisional electoral results.
He said they discussed the logistics of what will happen in the coming days and getting to Wellington.
Seymour said he would be meeting with Act’s caucus and board as well as potentially chatting with members of the National party today.
“I’m just going to be sitting down with a few people, working through what any tentative negotiations over the next two weeks before the special votes come in may look like,” he said.
He will remain in Auckland on Tuesday next week for former Port Waikato Act candidate Neil Christensen’s funeral but intends to be in Wellington for the rest of the week.
Seymour said he hasn’t spoken to New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon since last night, but the two were likely to speak at some point today.
Alongside Seymour was Act Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden, who was celebrating her victory of the Tāmaki electorate, as well as her 31st birthday.
Van Velden edged out National’s Simon O’Connor by a total of 4575 votes in the blue ribbon seat of Tāmaki.
“I feel really humbled to serve the people of Tāmaki, but also this hasn’t been my campaign, it’s been everybody’s campaign,” she said.
She thanked everyone who had helped throughout the campaign, even those who allowed signs to go up on their fences.
Asked what it means to her as a young woman, van Velden said it doesn’t matter what her age or gender is, she’s there for good public policy.
She had been approached by a lot of school-aged girls during her campaign telling her it was awesome that she has shown you can be a leader, be feminine, and be yourself at the same time.
“I’ve just tried to be myself and advocate for the local people,” she said.
Van Velden said she would be celebrating the remainder of her birthday with family who had travelled to Auckland for election day.
Seymour also comfortably won the Epsom electorate.
Asked if he had watched the All Blacks defeat Ireland this morning in their Rugby World Cup Quarter Final, Seymour said he had been too busy.
He said the fact that they had won is an early sign of the good things that come from a change of government.
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.