Ben Craven's Speech 08/08/11 Wellington Central Candidate's Forum.

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the public and fellow students - welcome.

My name’s Ben Craven. I’ve put my name forward to be the NZ First candidate for Wellington Central this election.

I’m not a rich kid, I’m living on my overdraft. I don’t have a flash suit either. And I’m a member of the New Zealand First Party.

So what’s going on?

Once upon a time I thought NZ First was, quite simply, a party of pensioners.

When you think NZ First, you think Gold Card and oldies. Probably a few zimmer-frames too.

But I looked a bit deeper. I looked beyond the media coverage and found a party that upholds ideals that resonate well with me.

You see, the reason why there’s quite a few elderly people in NZ First is not because it’s a pensioners party. It’s because they remember a time when New Zealand used to be a great country.

They realise it’s not a great country anymore. Not by a long shot.

They’ve seen assets sales by both Labour and National. They’ve seen the rise of consumer culture and the destruction of community.

Who here even knows their neighbours?

Furthermore, they have seen the divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” grow greater each year.

And have seen consecutive governments fail our young people.

New Zealand First have a vision and long term plan to right these wrongs, to guarantee everyone a fair go and to ensure New Zealand is a country that our generation and the generations after us actually WANT to live in.

So why vote NZ First this election?

NZ First believe in a universal student allowance.

University costs far too much to make it viable for a great number of young people. They’re so worried about the debt that they’d rather go and work a minimum wage job - or better yet, go on the dole.

In investing in YOUR future, we’re investing in this country’s future.

“But wait - there’s more…”

NZ First’s dollar for dollar student loan repayment scheme is set up to help you guys.

The way it works is pretty simple. For every dollar of your student loan that you pay back whilst in New Zealand, we’ll match it.

What’s the point having a huge student loan scare all of our graduates overseas? The figures might look good on paper, but it’s money this country will never see again.

NZ First believe in helping graduates enter the workforce and prosper.

Some sectors want to ban graduates leaving the country until they’ve paid off their student loans!

We at NZ First do not believe this country should be a graduate-prison. But a place where graduates actually WANT to live.

Make no mistake, unlike other parties with their sectional interests, New Zealand First is a party for ALL of New Zealand, ALL New Zealanders, and ALL of those people who call New Zealand home.

We don’t give a stuff about David Letterman. Who here has seen Mr Key’s video?

In it, our National Prime Minister, the “Right Honourable” John Key, makes a mockery of this country and its inhabitants.

If he’s going to fob us off in order to prostrate himself in front of a US media mogul, then what chance does this country have?

Where’s this brighter future he guaranteed us?

Or should we assume that his policies for his contemptible countrymen will merely echo his personal sentiments?

NZ First are a party that take New Zealand, and New Zealand interests, seriously.

Who and what are Mr Key’s interests?

America.

Make no mistake - National and their YoungNats are parading the right slogan - they’re all “Key People!”

Through Mr Key, the US see an opportunity to fleece us all.

You’ve seen it all over the news. The US are up against the ropes, they’re desperately in need of some easy cash and they see us as an easy target.

And why wouldn’t they?

Instead of resisting their advances, what has Mr Key done?

He’s committed more of our people into the atrocious US-led war in Afghanistan and opened up down-town Wellington to the US Marines!

So what’s this love fest all about?

It’s about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the erosion of New Zealand’s economic sovereignty.

The Australians already have such an agreement with the US. Now they’ve got American tobacco companies on their backs for trying to wean their population off smoking.

Yes, that’s right. Tobacco firm Philip Morris and others are looking to sue the Australian government under this Free Trade Agreement.

Now the US have Pharmac in their sights.

The fat-cat American drug companies will leech the life out of this country with ludicrously expensive medicines, your average Kiwi will be out of pocket and John “the smiling assassin” Key will get a pat on the back.
This government has shown us that they want to divide and conquer.

They’ve been flip-flopping their policies like a dying fish.

Just look at VSM.

Originally National explicitly said they were not going to support VSM, now they’ve done a great U-turn.

As students, OUR community and OUR representation has been all but gone to the dogs.

NZ First believe in preserving and fostering community. We want to maintain and uphold the values of democracy and for that reason we are explicitly against VSM.

This election it is imperative that we put NZ First.