Today marks exactly four months since the country went into Alert Level 4 lockdown following the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s also 55 days away from election day.
It’s said that a day is a long time in politics, as the happenings in Parliament over the recent weeks have shown.
While the nation looks toward grave economic forecasts, the prospect of mass unemployment and border restrictions for the foreseeable future, much of the recent political discourse has focused not on debates over policy about parties’ response to the pandemic, but on individual politicians themselves — their ambitions and their failings.
But what do Kiwis actually want to hear from their representatives?
TVNZ1’s Q+A headed to eleven electorates in the regions, looping around from Wellington to Palmerston North, to find out what issues voters think are important — from health, business, law and order, housing and education.
Levin Salvation Army’s Captain Chris Collings said the town had a lot of needs.
“When I first arrived here a few years ago, there was, from what I recall, three or four people on the social housing list. Now, it's over 100."
He said gangs were also becoming an issue in the town.
Rachel Kirsopp of Grey Power in the Kapiti Coast said the area was “very conscious … that we don’t have a hospital”.
She said the prospect of the completion of Transmission Gully was “very attractive to retirees”.
Real estate consultant and chair of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce said businesses needed stability and Governments needed to make good business decisions.
Watch the full story in the video above.
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