KEY POINTS:
John Key's log: 22-10-2008
I had another busy day on the campaign trail yesterday in Hamilton and Auckland.
Following our announcement on the Waikato Expressway in Hamilton, I got out and about in Papatoetoe and Botany. The reaction was heartening.
Not everybody was saying they would vote National, of course, but many people were, and I got a fair hearing wherever I went.
A particular issue raised with me consistently by people I met in both areas was law and order.
This is a huge concern for many members of the public I speak to, and yesterday was no exception.
On Monday I announced National's plan to boost frontline police numbers in South Auckland by 300. And since late last year we've also announced policies on parole, policing tools, victims, gangs and the drug P, and youth justice.
Like the economy, I believe law and order is one of the core issues of this election campaign. Security is top of mind for many, many people.
Last night I got a great reception at a public meeting organised by the party at the Pukekohe Town Hall, which was attended by more than 600 people.
Not surprisingly, there were a number of questions on law and order.
I will have more to say on that issue today when I visit New Plymouth to campaign there.
John Key
Helen Clark's log: 22-10-2008
The pupils from room 19 at Owairaka Primary School in my Mt Albert electorate started my day with some pretty good questions for 9- to 11-year-olds.
The Two Robbies from Auckland radio station The Breeze had asked them to be part of a Kiddies' Conference, to be broadcast on Friday morning.
They quizzed me on housing, GST, and law and order. Teacher Jill Smythe did a great job preparing them. She can be particularly proud of Maddison Wyllie-Papalii and Ailsa Dekker, both 10, who greeted me on arrival.
Owairaka Primary is a truly multi-cultural school, serving a large local Pacific Island community, as well as families from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Its hall bears a plaque with my name from the opening ceremony in 2005, and I also opened a Maori unit there in 2007.
An education development on a truly different scale was up next. I announced a government grant of up to $25 million over 10 years to develop an Innovation Centre at the Tamaki Campus of the University of Auckland. It's a joint project between the Government, university, and Auckland City Council, and is part of our drive to build a smart economy.
Improved economic growth will come through innovative ideas and products. That's why the research and development tax credits, the Fast Forward Fund for the pastoral and food sectors, and technology parks like the Innovation Centre, are so important.
What to watch for today: the campaign heads to Taupo to look at an infrastructure project.
Helen Clark
