National Party Leader Christopher Luxon brought his campaign to a packed Pongakawa Community Hall in the Coastal Bay of Plenty, highlighting the government’s focus on education and economic management. Stressing that foundational skills are key to long-term success, Luxon told the crowd, “Maths is an important life skill which opens doors to jobs, qualifications and a more prosperous future so we want every child to gain those skills.”
Reflecting on the coalition’s policy direction over the previous term, Luxon defended the administration’s record and warned against a change in leadership, stating, “This election there is a clear choice between sticking with National’s plan for a more secure future, no matter the stage of your life, with a growing economy, less debt, more jobs and higher wages.”
A silent protest from Maketū
Outside the venue, the political visit drew sharp local opposition as Maketū resident Raewyn Bennett (Ngāti Whakaue) staged a silent demonstration to make her feelings known to attendees.
Explaining her motivation for standing outside the hall, Bennett said, “I just wanted to stand there so that everybody that went in could see and I wanted to come here and just see who in this community doesn’t care about our mokos. If they’re here, they don’t care about our mokos.”
Frustrated by her treatment outside the venue, she added, “The police said I had to come out here, I couldn’t even stand there. Those two eggs over there.”
Perspectives from Maniatutu Road Māori farmer enrolled on the General Roll
Further down the road on Maniatutu Road, local farmer Pauline Klaus (Ngāti Pikiao) who also attended today’s meeting shared a more favourable view of the government’s impact on the rural sector.
Discussing the relief felt by primary producers regarding regulatory changes, Klaus noted, “It’s just so much easier for us, we don’t have all this regulation you know that we had to have before and it was really quite depressing farming and working and it’s just starting to come right.”
According to Electoral Commission figures released at the beginning of the month (1 October 2026), there are 8,056 Māori currently registered on the General Roll and eligible to vote in the Rotorua electorate. Pauline is one of them; when asked why she is on the General Roll, she explained that it offers her more candidate choices than the Māori roll. By comparison, while 8,056 Māori are on the General Roll in Rotorua, there are 15,779 Māori in that same electorate enrolled to vote in the Māori electorate of Waiariki.
Voicing her support for local MP Todd McLay and the incumbent government, Klaus concluded, “He’s done a lot for farming, he’s done a lot for you know New Zealand is getting more exports out there. So we’re pretty happy with him.”
If re-elected, National’s Plan for Kiwi Kids will:
- Introduce a $1,500 Baby Boost to kickstart KiwiSaver.
- Introduce a School Start check for every child.
- Develop clear milestones throughout ECE and reporting to parents.
- No screens in ECE and limit device use in Years 1-3 and introduce age-appropriate limits for older primary students.
- Keep teaching the basics brilliantly – one hour of reading, writing and maths every day, and expand the Maths Acceleration Programme.
- Keep the phone ban in schools.
- More warm, dry classrooms.
- Keep young people in school until the end of Year 11.
- Set consistent school start and finish dates.
- Replace NCEA.
- Have learning support coordinators in all schools and more teacher aides.
- Ban under-16s from social media.