Nicole McKee Announced as ACT's New Deputy
The party said four MPs sought the role as Nicole McKee replaced Brooke van Velden and pledged to help David Seymour lock Labour out.
- On Sunday, the Act Party named firearms campaigner Nicole McKee as its new deputy leader at an annual general meeting in Auckland, succeeding Brooke van Velden who retired from politics.
- Addressing party faithful, leader David Seymour urged supporters to "Lock Labour out" of government while unveiling snarky nicknames for rivals, including "Cynical Chris Hipkins" and "Business Class Chlöe."
- Proposing a significant reduction in bureaucracy, Seymour announced plans to consolidate 43 government departments into 19 and cut the number of ministers from 28 to 18.
- New welfare policies would mandate that Jobseeker recipients on benefits for more than four months use electronic payment cards, while requiring MSD-approved doctors to independently issue all health and disability benefits.
- Police managed crowds of protesters outside the venue as Seymour faced criticism over his Israel stance, while organizers confirmed Maddy Stieva, who worked for Pierre Poilievre, planned the event with "the touch of Trump.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Act kicks off campaign with a hint of a Trump-style rally
If the setting for Act’s campaign launch on Sunday wasn’t enough to make you think it resembled a Trump-style rally, the tagline “Making New Zealand affordable again” certainly might have. Hundreds of attendees sat on bleachers around a stage at Auckland’s Shed 10, set up almost like a boxing ring for the party’s sold-out AGM. A large New Zealand flag dominated the backdrop as energetic music pumped through the speaker, welcoming party leader D…
Aura edits and protests: Field notes from the Act Party’s big flash rally
Act kicked off the election campaign with a new deputy leader and an American-style rally. Also, David Seymour botched his Latin. The Act Party is riding high. Leader David Seymour has gone from a solo artist in 2017 to deputy prime minister with a team of 11 MPs, the largest the party has ever been. After a term in government, the party has some key policy wins to report back to the membership. With the party coffers full after attracting new…
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