National Party Candidate for New Plymouth David MacLeod

Meeting the Business Community

It’s been a busy few months since David MacLeod secured selection as the National Party candidate for the New Plymouth electorate.

While well-known by some due to his high-profile governance roles, such as Chair of the Regional Council, his priority was to get out amongst the business community to meet as many people as possible.

“I’m out walking the streets of the CBD and going into shops and there’s a lot of stress out there. One lady I spoke to said she’d had to lay off three staff and move premises for lower rent. This just isn’t the country I want to see. And that was just one of the people I’ve spoken to. My aim is to meet as many business people across the electorate as I can.”

MacLeod says discussing how business is doing is just one part of the conversation.

“People are talking about the cost of going to the supermarket, or filling up the car, and that’s before they try to find hundreds of dollars more per week to cover rising mortgage repayments. Our local rates look like they’re heading north too. We can’t escape the fact that everything is becoming more expensive.”

A recession is inevitable – the question is how long the pain lasts, says MacLeod.

“The sad reality is, to get out of recession, we must go through pain as a society. The question is do we have prolonged pain - or short-term pain. The Government largely controls how long we suffer – by throwing more unproductive money into the economy, they are prolonging the pain for the average New Zealander.

“National’s drive to bring discipline back to government spending and stop adding costs and red tape to businesses will go a long way to reducing the pain.”

Crime is another concern. The robbery of the Michael Hill store in New Plymouth in May highlights the risks some businesses face.

“As if the economic pressures weren’t already enough!” he says.

“A National Government will crack down on serious repeat offending such as this by backing our police, introducing serious consequences and funding our grass roots community organisations to help break the cycle of offending.”

MacLeod commends the fantastic businesses in our region doing worldclass work.

“I would love to come to your business and talk about the issues important to you. It could be a catch-up to discuss the issues on your mind or a business visit and I can share the great work you’re doing on social media. I’d love to hear from you.”

Authorised by D MacLeod, 37 Gill Street New Plymouth.