Articles by Judith Collins

I am back in Auckland and have been out in a few different electorates catching up with small business owners and locals. In typical Kiwi fashion, the people I meet put on a brave face. However, often after a few minutes of talking about their current reality inevitably tears flow. In my twenty years in politics the only time I have experienced a similar feeling of absolute…

First I want to thank everyone in Auckland who is coping with another week in lockdown. Auckland is doing the hard yards to keep everyone else in New Zealand COVID-19 Delta free. This week we should think of the parents, teachers, principals and students who are struggling through another week of lockdown in Auckland. I am also very aware of the huge pressure on all the business…

I hope you are safe and well at home as we continue this Level 4 lockdown. I can imagine that some of you may be feeling anxious, fed up, even angry! This virus is virulent, unpredictable and brings challenges that affect us all. It’s clear that decisive action is needed to prevent further community spread of Delta and it is better to contain it with a level 4 lockdown than…

While there’s a clear case for change in our Three Waters sector, the Government’s plan isn’t compelling, and the model of four regional entities comes with several serious problems. We recognise and understand the need for change. But the proposed solution will end up with more problems than solutions. The benefits of scale are not convincing. Water services are not like the…

Good morning, delegates. It’s an absolute privilege to be speaking to you all here today as your leader. I’d like to acknowledge National Party President Peter Goodfellow, my fellow board members, my lower North Island colleagues and all of you, the members of the National Party. It is great to see you all here today. The past few years have been a challenging time for our…

Dear Constituents of the Papakura Electorate, I would like to thank everyone who supported me and the National Party in the Papakura Electorate during the last Election. I am thrilled to be re-elected in Papakura and it will be a privilege to be your Member of Parliament for another three years. Nationally, the election result is disappointing but the National team will be back…

I am very pleased to have been nominated as your National Party candidate for the Electorate of Papakura which now includes all the Pohutukawa Coast from Ardmore and Beachlands to Orere Point, Hunua, Happy Valley, Ness Valley; the farms and agricultural areas of Ponga, Drury, Ararimu, Ramarama, Runciman, Bombay and the more suburban areas of Kingseat, Karaka and of course…

While we have been in lockdown to fight the spread of Covid-19, I have been amazed by people’s ingenuity to make this a positive experience. So many organisations and individuals in Papakura and all over Counties Manukau have grouped together to help others in the community. I want to acknowledge them. And also I congratulate all the families who have looked after each other…

Politicians around the world have been calling for faster and faster action to reduce emissions. Our own Prime Minister has joined the political hype-train by announcing climate change is "my"/her generation’s nuclear free moment (who made everyone under 40 "her" generation? and why are we now pitting different generations against each other?) Politicians around the world have…

The New Zealand Parliament has led New Zealand in grieving following the terrible Christchurch terrorist attacks and we have joined together to change the law to ban the ownership of semi-automatic military style weapons and other enabling equipment and we have enacted an amnesty and a compensation scheme for weapons that are surrendered. But now we must get back to the business…

It is very hard to find words even now to express the shock, disbelief and upset that all New Zealanders, including my colleagues in Parliament and myself, experienced, as we heard the details of the terrible terrorist attacks on the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Avenue and then the Linwood Mosque in Christchurch as they unfolded, on New Zealand’s darkest day Friday 15 March. The news…