Articles by Andrew Bayly

Amendments made late last year to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) have had a significant impact on the average Kiwi who wants to apply for a credit card, obtain finance or get a mortgage – and the announcement of minor tweaks made in March by the Commerce Minister won’t lead to any real change. In 2019, Parliament voted to amend the CCCFA with the goal of reducing predatory lending from the likes of loan sharks and truck…

The Prime Minister’s Statement, delivered to the House at the start of the Parliamentary year, was riddled with platitudes, self-congratulation and hyperbole. What wasn’t mentioned or acknowledged was the issue of how divided a society we have become. This is something that has seeped out and spread widely throughout our country. It is insidious, undesirable and unwelcome. · The Prime Minister has become very accustomed to delivering edicts to…

Small businesses have really done it tough over the last 18 months, with numerous lockdowns and long periods of being unable to operate. When all the outgoings have been paid, only then can the business owner take what’s left for themselves. · We are a nation of small businesses. They can be found in every sector of commerce and in every industry. They are often referred to as the ‘engine room’ of the economy, providing jobs for thousands of…

The Port Waikato electorate spans the alert level boundary between Auckland and Waikato. This has been the battleground of the lockdown and as the elected MP I have seen at first-hand the incredible stress and anxiety the changing alert levels have placed on people. · Since the country was plunged into Alert Level 4 on 18 August, MPs across Auckland and the Waikato, and their staff in their electorate offices, have helped hundreds of people a…

Further reductions to the speed limits on rural roads around Franklin will only serve to frustrate the vast majority of road users. But will Auckland Transport listen? In 2019, Auckland Transport (AT) introduced a new speed limit bylaw and called for public submissions on the proposed changes. When I posted this news on my Facebook page, more than 53,000 people viewed the post. Many made submissions opposing the wholesale changes. · Did AT…

Communities and councils around the country are starting to make their voices heard around the effects the Government’s proposed Three Waters Reforms will have, with several mayors calling for the programme to be ‘paused’ on the grounds that there has been insufficient public consultation. The Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme was launched in July 2020 and aims to change the way three waters services – for drinking water, stormwater…

New Zealand is shifting to a new period in our Covid response. We are no longer pursuing a strategy of elimination. We need to rethink our economic strategy. National has today released ‘Back in Business’ – the plan that we believe the Government should be implementing immediately, given the unwelcome return of Covid into the community. · National believes the business sector should play a much bigger role in our Covid response. As we head…

It’s thought that it was Mark Twain who said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” It’s become a commonplace phrase for describing the persuasive power of numbers, especially statistics, when used to strengthen someone’s argument or point of view. As National’s spokesperson for statistics, I can vouch for the important role that statistics play in our understanding of New Zealand’s people, the economy and our…

Please look after yourself and your family and keep an eye out for your neighbours. You can contact me at andrew@baylymp.co.nz if you need a hand.

The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) is currently New Zealand’s principal law that governs how people interact with natural resources such as our air, soil, fresh water and the coastal marine environment. The RMA also regulates land use and the provision of infrastructure. It is generally accepted across most of the parties in Parliament that the RMA has passed its use-by date and hasn’t really achieved its purpose, which was to protect the…