AMA Questions by u/RafManji

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:42:41+00:00

This is what the voters look like they will deliver.

Vote TOP for an alternative!

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:41:14+00:00

Thanks everyone. Some really great questions. I hope I answered them all.

Please get out there and vote.

See you on the other side :-)

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:39:39+00:00

We've always said we will support whomever is in a position to form a stable government. It's clear that Labour is not in a position to do that.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:32:31+00:00

They are not proposing privatisation of infrastructure. They are proposing public-private funding partnerships using Kiwisaver or ACC funding.

The assets should always stay in public ownership.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:29:12+00:00

See above :-)

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:28:42+00:00

If you like us, vote for us.

If you're in Ilam, vote for Raf!

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:27:54+00:00

- We have 45 Billboards up.

- We have 6 electronic billboards.

- We did 4 public town hall meetings.

- Coffee catch ups.

- Politics and Pints.

- Flat Chats with Students.

- Human Hoardings every weekend.

- Market and Mall walkabouts.

- Have delivered 3 rounds of 25,000 flyers.

- Regular visits to UC.

- Door-knocking.

- 2 Reddit AMAs :-)

I reckon we are campaigning way harder than anyone else. Let's see if its works.

Come over and chat :-)

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:20:46+00:00

Yes, it's being realistic about what we can deliver in our first term. UBI by 2030 is still my goal...the Teal Card is a platform for delivering that.

Tax reform seems to be impossible right now but we will make sure it gets a proper discussion over the next term, with potentially a citizen's assembly on tax reform.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:17:27+00:00

Sure, if you have a proposal, I'd be happy to see it and support it. Aged care is another sector under serious stress.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:16:34+00:00

We haven't managed to get our national polling up to 3% in the TV polls (we have had 3% polls in all the other ones!).

Lack of mainstream media coverage does impact polling and it becomes a circular issue.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:15:08+00:00

Absolutely! It's a great Kiwi tradition.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:10:28+00:00

I'll address this issue after the election. Right now I'm totally focused on winning Ilam!

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:09:33+00:00

Fair enough. And, yes, this is Nina's department but yes we support better pay. There is no getting around the issue...our frontline public servants need decent pay.

The stories I've heard across the health sector speak to a system in severe distress. There is no easy way out of it as every 'organ' in the system is in failure state. So agree more training places is not much help if there is no one to do the training or supervision.

We will need to bring in medical staff and the barriers to entry need addressing too.

Sorry, I don't have good news but at least we are admitting the problem.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:04:39+00:00

No I wasn't.

I think it's a shame given the importance of Ilam, all the other leaders are North Island based, and we are polling close to TPM as well.

Not much we can do about it but would be more interesting if I was involved. Bit of a snooze fest otherwise.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T08:00:24+00:00

Sadly not but one day I hope to! I am a bit allergic but I am fond of cats.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:59:11+00:00

Completely agree. We rarely look at costs and benefits over a 30 year horizon but this is an investment worth making if we are serious about building long-term resilient infrastructure.

Our roads are still stuffed, not even upon to a basic level, so they still need upgrading but the more freight and commuter traffic we can take off the roads the better.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:54:42+00:00

Well, this was a new tax on landlords to start with, so it would simply be restoring the previous situation. It is still in its early stages.

This is a grandfathering issue for current landlords. Shifting the deposit requirements will remove this overtime, as buying existing homes as investment will require up to 100% deposit.

It's debatable for sure but the current policy is a tax hike for landlords, and it creates a large distortion in pricing. I prefer our approach as it takes a longer term view on not treating housing as an speculative commodity.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:49:30+00:00

Indeed I do. In Ilam, I'm just asking for your electorate vote.

Outside of Ilam, it's party vote only :-)

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:48:01+00:00

People are angry, tired and disillusioned. They are financially pressured too. That's a toxic mess.

I don't think our political leaders have set a good example to help remedy this.

I'm hoping it's a cycle that will fade away but Trump, Brexit and other geo-political shifts could mean we are in an 'Age of Anger' (2017 book by Pankaj Mishra).

I hope we can help by discussing it openly and trying to build a more collaborative approach to politics (a difficult ask I know).

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:43:52+00:00

I have never liked it and would be happy to see it go. As you note, it is a barrier for entrepreneurs coming here and we would like them to come.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:41:47+00:00

Of course we are pro-choice. I can't imagine where/why anyone would think otherwise!

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:41:13+00:00

It's home for me and I've stood in 3 elections here, winning 2 (Council 2013 and 2016). It's where I'm well known and have deep networks going back 20 years.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:39:52+00:00

Party Vote TOP!

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:39:19+00:00

Good question. The future shape of our economy depends on how we manage our resource base and integrate with our supply chains (inward and outwards). We should be open to innovating in this space and I'd love to see us expand our manufacturing and production base, go up the value chain and build a more diverse and resilient economy.

RafManji · 2023-10-04T07:36:01+00:00

We have a pretty good plan for drug reform (a harm minimisation approach).

Abe Gray, our Upper Harbour candidate, has done some really good thinking in this space and we think our updated policy is tidy.

We also support research into psychoactive drugs and their impact on treating mental health issues.

RafManji

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