Christopher Luxon has set out his vision for the country in his first State of the Nation address as Prime Minister, promising to be "straight up" with Kiwis about the country's "fragile" situation. "It tied down our economy with unnecessary regulation, and saw farmers and businesses as something to be sneered at rather than celebrated," Luxon said. Throughout the speech, Luxon referred to "tough choices" and kept coming back to welfare dependency, pointing to the additional 70,000 now on a Jobseeker unemployment benefit compared to 2017. "I won't apologise for making tough choices to support young people off welfare and into work, because 24 years languishing on welfare means no hope. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 18, 2024 01:56 UTC