Posts Tagged ‘National Party’

Church and charity tax exempt status under spotlight

Thursday, September 28th, 2023

National leader Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins faced off in Newshub’s Decision 2023 Leaders Debate on Wednesday. When asked by debate host, Paddy Gower whether charities should pay tax, Hipkins responded with a definite “yes”, while Luxon said he was “open to it”. In August, there was speculation that the National Party plan Read more

ACT, Labour and National to make pathway for parents of migrants to NZ easier

Monday, September 25th, 2023

Three parties on Saturday announced policies that would see the road for parents of migrants to New Zealand made easier. Labour, National and ACT all made similar announcements that they would overhaul the current visa system, while Labour also opened up the door for a one-off regularisation for Pacific and other migrants who have been Read more

Easter trading law reform unlikely

Monday, July 4th, 2022
Easter trading law reform

An ACT Party bill for Easter trading law reform was doomed before its first reading last Wednesday. The private member’s bill came from small business spokesman Chris Baillee. It sought to give retailers more choice over whether they operate during the religious holiday. Baillie said his bill would also look after workers by keeping existing Read more

Luxon’s Christian values challenged

Thursday, December 2nd, 2021
Luxon's Christian values challenged

Asked what drives his values, when pressed the National Party’s new leader, Christopher Luxon (pictured) identifies the Christian religion. The apparent media anxiety over Luxon’s Christianity is incoherent; his four immediate predecessors Judith Collins, Todd Muller, Simon Bridges and Bill English all professed a form of Christian faith. Then adding to the incoherence is that Read more

What’s up with Labour and National’s ‘slum enabling act’?

Thursday, November 25th, 2021
slum enabling act

How excited they were when it was announced. On October 19, Housing Minister Megan Woods and National leader Judith Collins jointly declared their support for the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. This bill, they said, would allow “at least 48,200 and as many as 105,500 new homes” to be built Read more

Muller will not impose faith-based values on others – some doubt it

Monday, May 25th, 2020
muller

Todd Muller the new leader of the National Party says while he identifies himself as Catholic, his religious beliefs do not inform his politics on issues such as euthanasia, abortion and the LGBT+ community. That has not satisfied the kind of people who go on twitter says Ryan Bridge in an opinion piece on Newshub. Read more

Abortion law change does not change hearts and minds

Sunday, March 22nd, 2020
abortion law change

The New Zealand Parliament has passed legislation which has removed abortion from the Crimes Act. It also removes the legal test for the procedure up until 20 weeks. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the abortion law changes. “This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human Read more

Exclusive Brethren asked to pray for National Party victory

Monday, July 17th, 2017

The Exclusive Brethren has included in its prayer agenda a request to its members to pray for a National Party victory in the coming general election. The prayer agenda, a confidential document, is distributed world-wide. The actual words in the prayer agenda are for the “right Government which maintains Christian principles” to win the New Read more

Key addresses 500 Pasifika church leaders

Friday, July 11th, 2014

Prime Minister John Key spoke to more than 500 members of South Auckland’s Pasifika community on Tuesday. The meeting, with Pacific church leaders at the Samoan Independent Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mangere, was also a platform to promote National’s candidate for Mangere, Misa Fia Turner. Key says there had been a shift in support Read more

Pro-life group pressuring National party in Wellington Central

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

A fiercely anti-abortion lobby group is putting pressure on the National Party not to select an experienced doctor whose job has involved authorising and performing abortions. Right to Life said the potential selection of medical practitioner Rosemary Fenwicke as a candidate in Wellington Central “would have serious consequences for the National Party at the forthcoming Read more