Waimakariri election candidates tackle crime, healthcare and the cost of living

By David Hill for Local Democracy Reporting

Waimakariri election candidates sparred over the issues of crime, healthcare and the economy during a meeting at Pegasus.

Matt Doocey (National), Dan Rosewarne (Labour) and Gordon Malcolm (Democracy NZ) were quizzed by the local residents' association in front of a crowd of 80 at Pegasus Bay School on Wednesday evening.

Doocey said National planned to amend the Sentencing Act to ensure offenders served their time in prison.

''Too often people commit crimes and go through the courts, but they can get a number of discounts and then end up going into home detention. 'Judges will only be able to discount up to 40 percent of sentences.''

Malcolm said police were under ''huge pressure'' and needed more resourcing so they could be more visible on the frontline.

Meanwhile, Rosewarne presented police data showing robberies had reduced in the Waimakariri district, reflecting national trends.

''I have regular meetings with the local police district commander and he said police were getting tired of opposition parties using law and order.

''They are worried about the hysteria it is creating. Crime is not out of control.''

Labour has promised to recruit 300 more police to reduce the pressure, while also providing more mental health resourcing.

On the health front, Doocey said the Waimakariri district needed after hours healthcare to support the growing population.

''The PHO's (primary health organisation) requirement for after hours care is compliant if you live within a 40-minute drive.

''But that doesn't take into account housing density, so we have advocated for high growth areas like Rangiora and Kaiapoi.''

There was a shortage of GPs, but National is proposing to open a third medical school targeted at recruiting GPS for rural and provincial areas.

Malcolm said faster training pathways were needed for nurses and medical school quotas for GPs needed to be increased.

Rosewarne said there was a global shortage of nurses.

''The opposition parties seem to forget we have just had a global pandemic where 100,000 medical professionals around the world died during Covid," he said.

''The United Kingdom, Europe and the United States are all screaming out for nurses, but the world is playing catch up due to Covid.''

Labour is investing in health infrastructure, has abolished prescription charges and is promising free dental care for under 30s, he said.

The cost of living also came up in the meeting.

Doocey said the government needed to get on top of inflation and interest rates with ''prudent financial discipline''.

Debt had risen from $5 billion to $100 billion over the last six years and was now 43 percent of GDP, he said.

However, Rosewarne said the latest credit rating from Standard & Poors showed New Zealand was in a strong economic position with ''a modest level of debt'' compared to other countries.

Inflation was coming down, wages were rising and more New Zealanders were in employment than ever before, he said.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.