We’ve plummeted to 23rd in the world.

Party: ACT

Date Received: 2025-08-10 08:37

HTML Version

Dear [Name],

This week, we’re making it easier to build a shed without red tape, starting a clean-up of pointless labelling rules, backing long-overdue NCEA reform, expanding charter schools that actually work, and launching the biggest local council campaign New Zealand’s ever seen.

If you’re after a Party that gets stuff done – you’re in the right place. ACT is bringing back common sense

So let's crack into it👇

NCEA: Time to Fix the Disaster

For 20 years, our education system has drifted into mediocrity. NCEA was sold as a bold new approach. Instead, it watered everything down.

The top students still do fine, but the rest? They’ve been let down by a system that rewards gaming the credits instead of gaining knowledge.

NCEA has become less about learning and more about racking up credits. Students pick subjects with no end-of-year exams – just internal assessments – and walk away with a transcript full of "Excellences" but no real grasp of maths or English.

“If the goal is 80 credits...some students think: ‘How do I get these as quickly and efficiently as possible?’… Then they ask: ‘Where are they found, and what’s the effort-to-credit ratio?’” – Scott Haines, VP of Secondary Principals' Association of NZ

Now we’re seeing the results: New Zealand students are a full year behind where they were 20 years ago. In maths, we’ve plummeted to 23rd in the world.

“NCEA was driven by an ideology that competition and excellence are bad...Replacing the NCEA with a rich body of real knowledge being richly assessed is the right direction.” – David Seymour

ACT is backing this reform every step of the way.

We need to teach kids how to think, how to solve problems, and how to deal with real challenges – not how to dodge them.

You Can Finally Build the Damn Shed

In what world does it make sense to tell a homeowner they can’t put a shed near the edge of their own property?

The Government's job should be to protect property rights – not micromanage your backyard. But that’s exactly what Wellington’s been doing for years.

Want a shed for the lawn mower? A sleepout for your teenager? A garage to keep your car dry in winter? Too bad, under the old rules, it had to be as far from the boundary as it was tall, or you’d need a full-blown building consent.

ACT said enough is enough.

We listened to the Red Tape Tipline and are now scrapping the ridiculous setback rules for small structures under 30 square metres.

“We’ve heard the frustration,” David said. “Section sizes are shrinking, and the cost of living rising. Forcing people to put sheds in the middle of their lawn or pay for a consent to store tools doesn’t make sense.”

This is Government that actually listens and backs common sense.

Soon, you’ll be able to build a shed, sleepout, or garage without a mountain of paperwork or unnecessary costs.

Just build the damn thing. Simple.

Thirty Labelling Laws, One Giant Mess

New Zealand’s product labelling rules are a joke – 30 different codes, standards, and regulations, many of them conflicting, just to sell a product.

It’s costing businesses big. And that cost shows up when you're at the checkout.

Take a business like Chemist Warehouse, operating in both New Zealand and Australia. They’ve been a game-changer for Kiwis buying cheaper meds, but even they’re tied up in unnecessary labelling requirements that drive up costs.

Why should a pharmaceutical product be relabelled for New Zealand when it’s already sold across the ditch?

This is just outdated bureaucracy, making retailers print multiple versions of the same label.

One for NZ. One for Australia. One for everyone else.

“Complex labelling rules hit businesses at every level… Those costs ultimately get passed on to consumers at the checkout.” – David Seymour

It’s bad for local businesses. Bad for exporters. Bad for competition. And it’s part of the reason your groceries are more expensive than they should be.

ACT is in Government to clean this kind of thing up. If Chemist Warehouse can lower the cost of meds, imagine what a simpler system could do for everything else.

Cut the deadweight compliance and let businesses focus on giving you better products, at better prices.

ACT Local Launches the Biggest Council Campaign in NZ History

Rates are going up. Pipes are still leaking. And some councils are wasting time debating Palestine & Climate Change instead of fixing potholes.

That’s why ACT Local is stepping in.

46 candidates. 25 councils. The biggest local government campaign any political party has ever run in New Zealand.

“In central government, ACT is cutting waste, defending equal rights, and taking pressure off households.

"Our councillors will do the same: vote against wasteful spending, stand up for democratic principles, and focus on essential services without driving up rates.” – David Seymour

These aren’t career councillors. They’re business owners, healthcare workers, farmers, engineers — people who know how to stick to a budget and get things done.

They’ve had enough of vanity projects and virtue-signalling. They want roads fixed, waste stopped, pipes working — and they’ll say no to dumb spending.

When you get your ballot, you’ll know exactly what ACT Local stands for: core services, lower rates, and no nonsense.

To learn more, visit the ACT Local website here.

In the weeks to come, we’ll be showcasing some of the hard work our candidates are doing out on the campaign trail – starting with our Ōrākei Local Board team, who recently volunteered at a local tree planting. From left to right: Martin Mahler, Amanda Lockyer, and Rob Meredith.

Charter Schools: Back, Expanding, and Working

Labour tried to kill them off. The unions didn’t like them. But parents? They just want what works.

And boy, do charter schools work. Ask the students. Ask the parents. Ask the teachers who finally have the freedom to do what’s best for their kids.

This week, David announced two more, giving parents and students greater freedom to choose a school that works for them.

These schools have more flexibility in how they operate but are held to a higher standard for the outcomes they deliver. That means they can tailor their teaching to a specific group of students – such as those with learning difficulties.

The result? More kids leaving school with the skills they need to navigate the 21st century, and if you can do that, we don’t much mind how you get there.

Until Next Week

You don’t need permission to build a shed. You don’t need thirty labels for a jar of vitamins. You don’t need a council that tells you what to think – just one that keeps the water flowing and the roads sealed.

If that’s your kind of politics, share our newsletter with a mate.

And if there’s an ACT Local candidate running in your area, get behind them. Our movement’s only just getting started.

👉 Say g'day at our next event

Thanks,

Team ACT

DONATE TODAY

[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.

This email was sent to [Email]

You can update your email preferences here

Authorised by C Purves, Suite 2.5, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023

Text Version

<https://www.act.org.nz/>Dear [Name], <https://action.act.org.nz/>
This week, we’re making it easier to build a shed without red tape, starting a clean-up of pointless labelling rules, backing long-overdue NCEA reform, expanding charter schools that actually work, and launching the biggest local council campaign New Zealand’s ever seen.
If you’re after a Party that gets stuff done – you’re in the right place. ACT is bringing back common sense
So let's crack into it👇
<https://www.iheart.com/podcast/24837692/episode/288884650/ Time to Fix the Disaster
For 20 years, our education system has drifted into mediocrity. NCEA was sold as a bold new approach. Instead, it watered everything down.
The top students still do fine, but the rest? They’ve been let down by a system that rewards gaming the credits instead of gaining knowledge.
NCEA has become less about learning and more about racking up credits. Students pick subjects with no end-of-year exams – just internal assessments – and walk away with a transcript full of "Excellences" but no real grasp of maths or English.
“If the goal is 80 credits...some students think: ‘How do I get these as quickly and efficiently as possible?’… Then they ask: ‘Where are they found, and what’s the effort-to-credit ratio?’” – Scott Haines, VP of Secondary Principals' Association of NZ
Now we’re seeing the results: New Zealand students are a full year behind where they were 20 years ago. In maths, we’ve plummeted to 23rd in the world. <https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/567719/school-system-fair-but-we-ve-been-pretending-it-s-great-education-ministry-document>
“NCEA was driven by an ideology that competition and excellence are bad...Replacing the NCEA with a rich body of real knowledge being richly assessed is the right direction.” – David Seymour
ACT is backing this reform every step of the way.
We need to teach kids how to think, how to solve problems, and how to deal with real challenges – not how to dodge them.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch Can Finally Build the Damn Shed
In what world does it make sense to tell a homeowner they can’t put a shed near the edge of their own property?
The Government's job should be to protect property rights – not micromanage your backyard. But that’s exactly what Wellington’s been doing for years.
Want a shed for the lawn mower? A sleepout for your teenager? A garage to keep your car dry in winter? Too bad, under the old rules, it had to be as far from the boundary as it was tall, or you’d need a full-blown building consent.
ACT said enough is enough.
We listened to the Red Tape Tipline and are now scrapping the ridiculous setback rules for small structures under 30 square metres.
“We’ve heard the frustration,” David said. “Section sizes are shrinking, and the cost of living rising. Forcing people to put sheds in the middle of their lawn or pay for a consent to store tools doesn’t make sense.”
This is Government that actually listens and backs common sense.
Soon, you’ll be able to build a shed, sleepout, or garage without a mountain of paperwork or unnecessary costs.
Just build the damn thing. Simple.
Thirty Labelling Laws, One Giant Mess
New Zealand’s product labelling rules are a joke – 30 different codes, standards, and regulations, many of them conflicting, just to sell a product.
It’s costing businesses big. And that cost shows up when you're at the checkout.
Take a business like Chemist Warehouse, operating in both New Zealand and Australia. They’ve been a game-changer for Kiwis buying cheaper meds, but even they’re tied up in unnecessary labelling requirements that drive up costs.
Why should a pharmaceutical product be relabelled for New Zealand when it’s already sold across the ditch?
This is just outdated bureaucracy, making retailers print multiple versions of the same label.
One for NZ. One for Australia. One for everyone else.
“Complex labelling rules hit businesses at every level… Those costs ultimately get passed on to consumers at the checkout.” – David Seymour
It’s bad for local businesses. Bad for exporters. Bad for competition. And it’s part of the reason your groceries are more expensive than they should be.
ACT is in Government to clean this kind of thing up. If Chemist Warehouse can lower the cost of meds, imagine what a simpler system could do for everything else.
Cut the deadweight compliance and let businesses focus on giving you better products, at better prices.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch Local Launches the Biggest Council Campaign in NZ History
Rates are going up. Pipes are still leaking. And some councils are wasting time debating Palestine & Climate Change instead of fixing potholes.
That’s why ACT Local is stepping in.
46 candidates. 25 councils. The biggest local government campaign any political party has ever run in New Zealand.
“In central government, ACT is cutting waste, defending equal rights, and taking pressure off households.
"Our councillors will do the same: vote against wasteful spending, stand up for democratic principles, and focus on essential services without driving up rates.” – David Seymour
These aren’t career councillors. They’re business owners, healthcare workers, farmers, engineers — people who know how to stick to a budget and get things done.
They’ve had enough of vanity projects and virtue-signalling. They want roads fixed, waste stopped, pipes working — and they’ll say no to dumb spending.
When you get your ballot, you’ll know exactly what ACT Local stands for: core services, lower rates, and no nonsense.
To learn more, visit the ACT Local website here. <https://www.actlocal.nz/candidates>
In the weeks to come, we’ll be showcasing some of the hard work our candidates are doing out on the campaign trail – starting with our Ōrākei Local Board team, who recently volunteered at a local tree planting. From left to right: Martin Mahler, Amanda Lockyer, and Rob Meredith. <https://www.actlocal.nz/orakei>
<https://www.youtube.com/watch Schools: Back, Expanding, and Working
Labour tried to kill them off. The unions didn’t like them. But parents? They just want what works.
And boy, do charter schools work. Ask the students. Ask the parents. Ask the teachers who finally have the freedom to do what’s best for their kids.
This week, David announced two more, giving parents and students greater freedom to choose a school that works for them.
These schools have more flexibility in how they operate but are held to a higher standard for the outcomes they deliver. That means they can tailor their teaching to a specific group of students – such as those with learning difficulties.
The result? More kids leaving school with the skills they need to navigate the 21st century, and if you can do that, we don’t much mind how you get there.
Until Next Week
You don’t need permission to build a shed. You don’t need thirty labels for a jar of vitamins. You don’t need a council that tells you what to think – just one that keeps the water flowing and the roads sealed.
If that’s your kind of politics, share our newsletter with a mate.
And if there’s an ACT Local candidate running in your area, get behind them. Our movement’s only just getting started.
👉 Say g'day at our next event <https://action.act.org.nz/events>
Thanks,
Team ACT
<https://www.act.org.nz/donate>DONATE TODAY <https://www.act.org.nz/donate>[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.
This email was sent to [Email] <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
You can update your email preferences here <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
Authorised by C Purves, Suite 2.5, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023