With another election approaching, I wanted to do something a little different.
Rather than simply looking at campaign announcements, social media posts and party slogans, I decided to put questions directly to politicians and give them the opportunity to answer in their own words.
Next up is Chris Flatt, Labour’s candidate for the Taupo electorate.
Chris has lived and worked in the electorate for more than 14 years and describes himself as a proud resident of Taupo and South Waikato. In his answers, he talks about the cost of living, unemployment, Labour’s economic plans, health, housing and what he believes the previous Labour Government got wrong.
He also gets fairly deep into the political and economic language.
No, OBEGAL isn’t a new type of bread.
I also asked him what happens when representing your party and representing your electorate don’t necessarily line up, how accessible he would be as a local MP, and what he would actually like to achieve after three years in Parliament.
A quick note before we start: Chris’s answers are published as provided and in his own words. There are quite a few figures, policies and economic terms in this one. These are Chris’s claims and descriptions of Labour policy, rather than my own.
These are Chris Flatt’s answers, in his own words.
1. For readers who don’t know you, briefly tell us who Chris Flatt is and why you’ve decided to stand for Labour in the Taupō electorate.
I am a proud resident of the Taupō & South Waikato electorate and have lived and worked here for over 14 years. My three kids (14, 12, and 11) attend local public schools and our family is heavily involved in local sports, cultural, and community groups.
I love living here; it’s a wonderful part of New Zealand. But please don’t forget that Taupō is the name of the electorate and our amazing electorate also includes many diverse towns and communities including: Hautapu, Cambridge, Leamington, Karapiro, Tīrau, Putāruru, Tokoroa, Mangakino, Kinleith, Kinloch, Taupō, and Tūrangi (and many more smaller communities as well).
Over the last three years I have seen real hurt and damage being done to so many of our amazing and diverse communities and workplaces by the current Luxon National Government.
I feel this large electorate has been taken for granted by the current government, so I’ve decided to stand for Parliament to be a strong voice for the many communities of the Taupō electorate.
2. I’ve traditionally voted National, but this election I’m keeping an open mind. Convince me: why should I vote Labour, and why should I vote for you?
Do you feel back on track? Do you feel life has got better or easier under the Luxon Government? What I am hearing at markets and on the doors across the Taupō electorate is that under this government the cost of living has got so much harder, that jobs are harder to find, and it’s incredibly hard to access much needed public services and support when you need them.
Our Taupō electorate cannot afford another three years of budget cuts and reductions in essential services such as health, disability support, and education services.
Labour has a plan to reduce cost of living pressures and improving public services. A vote for Labour and for Chris Flatt is a vote for a better way. Because better starts now.
3. A lot of New Zealanders feel financially worse off than they did before COVID. What does Labour believe needs to change to genuinely improve people’s standard of living?
For a start we need to invest in all New Zealanders and stop giving tax cuts to landlords and tobacco companies like the Luxon Government has done.
Labour has committed to an extensive range of policies that will directly improve people’s standard of living including:
- Apprenticeship Boost to ensure more young workers are being trained.
- Small Business Action Plan to make sure small businesses are paid on time and can invest in their growth.
- Small Business First policy so small businesses have a fair shot at government contracts.
- Solar Saver Policy that provides kickstart subsidies so more families can access cheaper solar power, and renters can access new plug-in solar panels to reduce their power bills.
- Public Transport Fare Cap that limits your weekly public transport cost to $10 per week anywhere across the Taupō electorate.
- The Labour Medicard that will use money raised from our simple and targeted Capital Gains Tax (that is not on the family home or farm) to provide free maternity scans, free cervical screening, three free GP visits every year for all, and a Family Doctor Loan scheme to get more GPs into our local communities.
- And the NZ Future Fund that will grow our economy by taking existing government assets and an initial capital contribution and reinvest their returns into much needed local investment opportunities. This could include the expansion of the Taupō region’s geothermal power industry and sector meaning more local jobs and income.
4. Labour is often criticised for spending too much and making expensive promises. With government finances already under pressure, how would Labour pay for its policies without simply increasing debt or continually asking taxpayers for more?
Labour has committed to three core fiscal objectives:
- Balance the books and return to surplus. Returning the original measure of OBEGAL, (removing OBEGALx) Labour will return a surplus by 2029/30 and maintain a sustainable fiscal position over the forecast period.
- Bring down debt. We will aim to reduce net debt down to 20% of GDP over time and prioritise investments which support a strong growing economy. Returning to the net debt measurement allows us to more accurately understand the total range of liabilities and assets held by the Crown.
- Keep government spending and revenue sustainable. We will manage revenue and spending carefully, with core Crown expenditure and revenue maintained at around 33% of GDP when the Capital Gains Tax is fully implemented.
5. Unemployment is a growing concern for many New Zealanders. What do you believe is driving it, and what would Labour actually do to create sustainable jobs and economic growth?
New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is now 5.6% as of June 2026. This is the highest unemployment rate since 2015. This is over 171,000 unemployed people, an increase of over 7,000 since March this year!
Most concerning to me is that those not in employment, education, or training (mostly young people) has risen by 7,300 to 94,500 under this Luxon National government. That’s nearly 100,000 young people who are unemployed. That’s a bloody disgrace. And at a time when this Luxon government is increasing the number of overseas work visas!
The Luxon government’s decisions have directly contributed to these unemployment rates. The Luxon government’s decision to reduce public housing and infrastructure construction led to the loss of over 16,000 construction jobs, whilst their budget cuts to public services has seen the loss of thousands of health, education, and other public service jobs (including in the Taupō electorate).
We can’t afford another 3 years of this. Labour will focus on building sustainable jobs and economic growth by:
- Investing in productivity and growth through infrastructure, technology, skills, research and development, and practical support for small businesses to grow and create jobs.
- Making sure the tax system supports productive investment, including a capital gains tax that helps shift investment away from housing speculation and towards a productive economy that lifts wages and creates jobs.
- Creating a New Zealand Future Fund to protect our assets, make long-term investments in New Zealand, improve access to capital, and support high-growth businesses, innovation, and infrastructure.
- Investing in people by providing affordable public services, education, training, and transport that help New Zealanders participate in the economy and get ahead.
6. What’s one thing the previous Labour Government got wrong and what would you want Labour to do differently if it returned to government?
Hopefully the next Labour Government will not be required to respond to a major pandemic. But I do think the previous Labour government tried to focus on too many areas of much needed reform all at once. The next Labour government is committed to focusing on real action on jobs, health, and homes and ensuring that we deliver on what we promise to voters.
7. Taupō continues to grow, putting pressure on schools, healthcare, housing and infrastructure. What do you believe Taupō needs most, and what would you actually do as our local MP to push for it?
Our Taupō electorate does continue to grow and there are real pressures right across the electorate. But it is a large and diverse electorate. What is needed in Taupō town is often very different from what is needed in Putāruru or Tokoroa or Leamington. No one local MP will have all the answers.
But what I will do is work hard every day to hear from the many large and small communities across the electorate. That requires constant engagement and kōrero with community leaders, iwi, community organisations, sector groups, unions, and residents to ensure that the needs of all are being heard and represented in Wellington. I don’t believe that is happening currently.
8. If being a good Labour MP and being a good MP for the Taupō electorate ever became two different things, which one would you choose and would you be prepared to risk your political career over that choice?
The Labour Party listens to the views of all Labour MPs when making decisions. We are proud to have MPs that come from all parts of this amazing country, be it from large cities, small towns, provincial areas, or rural communities. The Taupō electorate has all of these.
If I am elected as the MP for the Taupō electorate, the views of all our communities will be heard loud and clear. I believe strongly that being a good MP for the Taupō electorate will also make me a very good Labour MP.
9. I’ve heard from people who feel our current electorate representation can be difficult to access unless you’re already “in the circle.” If you were elected, how would you make sure ordinary people including those who don’t support Labour, could genuinely reach you, speak with you and feel heard?
I have heard from many people across our Taupō electorate that they have never seen nor heard from their local MP and feel disconnected from their political representatives. The current Luxon Government’s proposed local government forced amalgamations will only make this accessibility problem even worse in my view.
If elected, I would commit to regular in-person and online engagement meetings with all parts of our diverse Taupō electorate right across the three years of Parliament. Not just in an election year is often the case by current MPs. I commit to meeting and being available for all residents (and not just Labour supporters) to hear your concerns and issues.
10. Fast-forward three years: if you’re elected, what is one thing you would want the people of the Taupō electorate to be able to point to and say, “Chris Flatt helped make that happen”?
That the amazing people of the Taupō electorate will say that they I am a champion for them and our amazing electorate in Parliament who doesn’t take the electorate or them for granted.
Bonus — politics aside: If you had to describe yourself with one song, what song would you be and why?
Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Man. I am proud to have spent most of my working life working for and representing working women and men right across the Taupō electorate, as well as right across this amazing country of ours.
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