Two years of ACT fixing what matters

Party: ACT

Sender: ACTion I ACT New Zealand <[email protected]>

Date Received: 2025-11-28 19:16

HTML Version

Dear [Name],

There’s something very Kiwi about rolling up your sleeves and getting on with the job. Look at the All Blacks: after a tough loss earlier this month, Razor and the team didn’t sulk or blame the ref – they got to work and fixed what mattered.

Politics doesn’t always work that way. Some prefer to wallow, point fingers, or create drama where none exists. ACT isn’t wired like that.

This week marks two years since ACT walked into a mess left by Labour – billions in debt, essential services running on fumes, and a media narrative insisting everything is bleak. The reality has been very different. For two years, ACT has delivered real, measurable improvements in people’s lives.

So in this edition of ACTion, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest wins so far – from cutting pointless red tape to passing major laws that are shifting the country in a better direction. If you want to read the full list of ACT’s achievements over the past two years, you can find them here.

And ACT can go further. More ACT influence at the decision-making table means more ACT ideas, more ACT discipline, and more ACT results. Growing this movement is how that happens, and support from people like you, [Name], genuinely makes a difference.

So here’s what ACT has been delivering for you 👇

Improving healthcare

Medicines were one of the few areas Labour underfunded. ACT secured a record $604 million increase to Pharmac’s budget – the biggest boost in Pharmac’s history. Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis are now receiving the medicines they need.

The new Rule of Two means that if two trusted countries approve a medicine, Medsafe must approve it within 30 days. A simple, common-sense reform driven by ACT.

Cancer medicines can now be accessed through private clinics for the first time. Taxpayers who invest in private insurance are no longer punished for doing so.

Melatonin is now available over the counter, ending the $70 GP-visit requirement. Wegovy, a breakthrough weight-loss treatment, is finally available by prescription. Pseudoephedrine is back, and 12-month prescriptions from 2026 will reduce unnecessary doctor visits.

Bowel-cancer screening is now free at 58 for everyone, replacing Labour’s race-based system. Bowel cancer doesn’t discriminate – and now, neither does access to screening.

Even long-time critics acknowledge the cultural shift at Pharmac. Groups that once picketed the agency are now working constructively with it – a change driven by real leadership.

Healthcare is improving because ACT is driving reform, and greater ACT influence will allow even more progress.

Restoring law and order

Remember ram raids? There were 86 in August 2022 alone. Since ACT reinstated consequences for serious youth offenders, ram raids are down 85 percent.

Three Strikes has been reinstated. The District Court’s criminal case backlog has fallen 20 percent since April 2023.

Karen Chhour ended the “KFC-on-the-roof” chaos and restored proper uniforms in youth facilities. Taxpayer-funded Cultural Reports, once used to soften sentences, are gone.

The outdated 42-year-old Arms Act is being replaced. Less than one percent of New Zealanders are gang members, yet they commit nearly a quarter of firearms offending. Labour’s rushed laws targeted licensed owners instead of criminals.

Nicole McKee has delivered a fair, durable firearms law including:
• automatic licence disqualification for gang members
• tougher penalties for major offences
• clear rules around serial numbers
• sensible storage rules allowing firearms to be stored at any approved location

Gang membership is now an aggravating factor at sentencing. Firearms Prohibition Orders are stronger, and military-style academies for serious young offenders are being piloted.

Youth offending is down 16 percent. Overall offending, youth and adult, is down 15 percent.

ACT is restoring consequences, restoring order, and putting victims first.

Building a world-class education system

Under Labour, education collapsed. In 2023, almost half of New Zealand students failed the most basic skills the OECD says every young person needs.

Of 41,000 students who sat the NCEA literacy and numeracy assessments, only 56 percent passed writing and numeracy. Labour delivered $5 billion more spending, 1,400 more bureaucrats, and worse outcomes.

ACT has turned the system around. Attendance is back up to 85 percent, and achievement in English and maths is rising. ACT re-established charter schools, restoring choice for families and pathways that lift children up.

ACT also defended 8,000 University of Auckland students, ending a compulsory Treaty paper unrelated to their degrees. Some international students were forced to pay up to $5,730 for the paper.

School Boards are no longer legally required to “give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” Schools can still teach as much tikanga and te reo Māori as they choose, but the decision now belongs to communities, not bureaucrats.

Choice is being restored across the system. Seventeen charter schools are open or set to open by 2026, including New Zealand’s first elite sports academy for future rugby and football talent.

The school lunch programme has been redesigned so more students are fed for less money, saving $130 million a year. Weekly attendance data is now published publicly, because transparency drives results.

Budget 2025 delivers $15.7 million over four years for independent schools, an 11 percent increase ensuring more choice and better outcomes for families.

Red tape and regulation

When ACT takes on a cause, it stays on it.

The earthquake-strengthening regime is a perfect example. For years, the blunt New Building Standard (NBS) system labelled buildings “earthquake-prone” because of a single weak spot, even when they posed no real risk.

In 2016, David was the only MP who voted against these laws. He warned they would destroy value and punish communities. He was right. Billions were wasted, and livelihoods were damaged.

Now, thanks to ACT, those rules are being reversed. The NBS system is being scrapped. A new earthquake-prone building (EPB) system will target only buildings that genuinely risk human life in medium and high seismic zones. Common sense is finally restored.

This is why ACT drove the Regulatory Standards Act. It forces politicians to confront the real-world costs of the laws they pass. Long resisted by the left, it is now law – and it exposes the true cost of political decisions. From next year, every politician must spell out exactly how their laws affect people’s rights, property, and livelihoods.

ACT also set up the Ministry for Regulation and launched New Zealand’s first Red Tape Tipline so Kiwis can report the rules doing the most harm.

Early Childhood regulations are being rebuilt. Agricultural and horticultural products are being fast-tracked. Outdated hairdresser registration is gone. Telecommunications and hospitality regulations are next.

So far, the Ministry has identified over $300 million in red-tape savings at a cost of just $20 million. It proves what ACT has always said: red tape costs a fortune – and we’re only getting started.

ACT is proud of what has been delivered over the past two years, but the next steps are even more important. A stronger ACT means better policy, less waste, and a country that works again – and that only happens with the support of people like you, [Name].

Until next week

Thanks for standing with us, [Name]. We’ll be back next week with more of the work the media won’t bother to mention – but that makes a real difference to New Zealanders’ lives.

If you’re in a position to support this work, your help would genuinely move New Zealand forward.

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.

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Text Version

<https://www.act.org.nz/>Dear [Name], <https://action.act.org.nz/>
There’s something very Kiwi about rolling up your sleeves and getting on with the job. Look at the All Blacks: after a tough loss earlier this month, Razor and the team didn’t sulk or blame the ref – they got to work and fixed what mattered.
Politics doesn’t always work that way. Some prefer to wallow, point fingers, or create drama where none exists. ACT isn’t wired like that.
This week marks two years since ACT walked into a mess left by Labour – billions in debt, essential services running on fumes, and a media narrative insisting everything is bleak. The reality has been very different. For two years, ACT has delivered real, measurable improvements in people’s lives.
So in this edition of ACTion, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest wins so far – from cutting pointless red tape to passing major laws that are shifting the country in a better direction. If you want to read the full list of ACT’s achievements over the past two years, you can find them here. <https://action.act.org.nz/two-years>
And ACT can go further. More ACT influence at the decision-making table means more ACT ideas, more ACT discipline, and more ACT results. Growing this movement is how that happens, and support from people like you, <https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>[Name], genuinely makes a difference. <https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>
So here’s what ACT has been delivering for you 👇
Improving healthcare
<https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>Medicines were one of the few areas Labour underfunded. ACT secured a record $604 million increase to Pharmac’s budget – the biggest boost in Pharmac’s history. Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis are now receiving the medicines they need.
The new Rule of Two means that if two trusted countries approve a medicine, Medsafe must approve it within 30 days. A simple, common-sense reform driven by ACT.
Cancer medicines can now be accessed through private clinics for the first time. Taxpayers who invest in private insurance are no longer punished for doing so.
Melatonin is now available over the counter, ending the $70 GP-visit requirement. Wegovy, a breakthrough weight-loss treatment, is finally available by prescription. Pseudoephedrine is back, and 12-month prescriptions from 2026 will reduce unnecessary doctor visits.
Bowel-cancer screening is now free at 58 for everyone, replacing Labour’s race-based system. Bowel cancer doesn’t discriminate – and now, neither does access to screening.
Even long-time critics acknowledge the cultural shift at Pharmac. Groups that once picketed the agency are now working constructively with it – a change driven by real leadership.
Healthcare is improving because ACT is driving reform, and greater ACT influence will allow even more progress.
Restoring law and order
Remember ram raids? There were 86 in August 2022 alone. Since ACT reinstated consequences for serious youth offenders, ram raids are down 85 percent.
Three Strikes has been reinstated. The District Court’s criminal case backlog has fallen 20 percent since April 2023.
Karen Chhour ended the “KFC-on-the-roof” chaos and restored proper uniforms in youth facilities. Taxpayer-funded Cultural Reports, once used to soften sentences, are gone.
The outdated 42-year-old Arms Act is being replaced. Less than one percent of New Zealanders are gang members, yet they commit nearly a quarter of firearms offending. Labour’s rushed laws targeted licensed owners instead of criminals.
Nicole McKee has delivered a fair, durable firearms law including:
• automatic licence disqualification for gang members
• tougher penalties for major offences
• clear rules around serial numbers
• sensible storage rules allowing firearms to be stored at any approved location
Gang membership is now an aggravating factor at sentencing. Firearms Prohibition Orders are stronger, and military-style academies for serious young offenders are being piloted.
Youth offending is down 16 percent. Overall offending, youth and adult, is down 15 percent.
ACT is restoring consequences, restoring order, and putting victims first.
Building a world-class education system
<https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>Under Labour, education collapsed. In 2023, almost half of New Zealand students failed the most basic skills the OECD says every young person needs.
Of 41,000 students who sat the NCEA literacy and numeracy assessments, only 56 percent passed writing and numeracy. Labour delivered $5 billion more spending, 1,400 more bureaucrats, and worse outcomes.
ACT has turned the system around. Attendance is back up to 85 percent, and achievement in English and maths is rising. ACT re-established charter schools, restoring choice for families and pathways that lift children up.
ACT also defended 8,000 University of Auckland students, ending a compulsory Treaty paper unrelated to their degrees. Some international students were forced to pay up to $5,730 for the paper.
School Boards are no longer legally required to “give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” Schools can still teach as much tikanga and te reo Māori as they choose, but the decision now belongs to communities, not bureaucrats.
Choice is being restored across the system. Seventeen charter schools are open or set to open by 2026, including New Zealand’s first elite sports academy for future rugby and football talent.
The school lunch programme has been redesigned so more students are fed for less money, saving $130 million a year. Weekly attendance data is now published publicly, because transparency drives results.
Budget 2025 delivers $15.7 million over four years for independent schools, an 11 percent increase ensuring more choice and better outcomes for families.
Red tape and regulation
When ACT takes on a cause, it stays on it.
The earthquake-strengthening regime is a perfect example. For years, the blunt New Building Standard (NBS) system labelled buildings “earthquake-prone” because of a single weak spot, even when they posed no real risk.
In 2016, David was the only MP who voted against these laws. He warned they would destroy value and punish communities. He was right. Billions were wasted, and livelihoods were damaged.
Now, thanks to ACT, those rules are being reversed. The NBS system is being scrapped. A new earthquake-prone building (EPB) system will target only buildings that genuinely risk human life in medium and high seismic zones. Common sense is finally restored.
This is why ACT drove the Regulatory Standards Act. It forces politicians to confront the real-world costs of the laws they pass. Long resisted by the left, it is now law – and it exposes the true cost of political decisions.From next year, every politician must spell out exactly how their laws affect people’s rights, property, and livelihoods.
ACT also set up the Ministry for Regulation and launched New Zealand’s first Red Tape Tipline so Kiwis can report the rules doing the most harm.
Early Childhood regulations are being rebuilt. Agricultural and horticultural products are being fast-tracked. Outdated hairdresser registration is gone. Telecommunications and hospitality regulations are next.
So far, the Ministry has identified over $300 million in red-tape savings at a cost of just $20 million. It proves what ACT has always said: red tape costs a fortune – and we’re only getting started.
ACT is proud of what has been delivered over the past two years, but the next steps are even more important. A stronger ACT means better policy, less waste, and a country that works again – and that only happens with the support of people like you, [Name].
Until next week
Thanks for standing with us, [Name]. We’ll be back next week with more of the work the media won’t bother to mention – but that makes a real difference to New Zealanders’ lives.
If you’re in a position to support this work, your help would genuinely move New Zealand forward. <https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>
Thanks,
Team ACT
<https://action.act.org.nz/donate>DONATE TODAY <https://action.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