Welcome to the big league Todd.    Not sure you needed telling but the MAGA hat issue (and we won’t talk about the Michelle Obama flag) sez more about the sad state of media journalism than anything else.   You have attracted some criticism for not saying FU to the media.   On balance I think you were right in your observation that it was an unnecessary distraction.   You pick the fights that you can win.   This was not one of those … it has become an article of faith for many in the media that Trump is the devil incarnate.   You can’t win against that. 

On a much more positive note and I applaud your firm commitment to overturn Jacinda’s ban on oil and gas extraction/exploration.   Her announcement was policy on the hoof bereft of any analysis designed solely to burnish her climate change credentials among the unthinking and gullable  … virtue signalling at its worst.   It mattered not that the ban does nothing to reduce our Co2 emissions and costs jobs.   Our oil and gas requirements are what they are and will remain so.   What we can’t produce locally will have to be imported from overseas at a cost.    I’m sure you’re aware that the exploration companies will require some assurance that a future Labour/Greens administration won’t just reinstate the ban before they commit to reinvesting in the industry.   That can be achieved by structuring permits that indemnify the holder against such action.

And kudos too for restating National’s commitment to progressively raise the age of entitlement to NZ Superannuation.   This is being honest with the country in contrast to the ostrich like approach of the  CoL that we can carry on with NZS as is with no change.    If it were a moot before Covid-19 it certainly isn’t now with the country in about to go into recession and the government having to borrow to fund operating costs.   Superannuates are one of the few cohorts to come through the pandemic relatively unscathed.  Many of us own are own homes, many of those homes are mortgage free, many of us still work, many of us have other income streams.    Put simply we are a protected species.   NZL can’t stand aloof from what is happening around the world in respect of old age pension entitlements and pretend that NZS, as it is presently structured, is sustainable.  With people living and working longer it make sense to push out the retirement age in graduated steps well signaled in advance.    Others might argue for the imposition of means testing but that is political suicide on steroids.

You have announced help for small and medium size business to expand and take on new staff and that is entirely in accord with National Party philosophy of hand-ups over hand-outs.    Of course there are the purist Actoids who will cry foul … their catch cry ‘let them eat cake’.    They of course enjoy the advantage of being able to talk in slogans.    National has the responsibility to articulate detailed policy.   My attitude to ACT is probably akin to the RC view of other christian faiths … described as ‘separated brethren’ with their hearts in the right place.

And good too your announcement that adjustments to the minimum wage will be put on hold as long as the country remains in recession.    That is being responsible.    You could actually make a case for pension/benefit payments to be frozen across the board as long as the country experiences minimal inflation but that might just be a bridge too far.   Nevertheless you can argue there should be no sacred cows as you work to get the books back into surplus and that has to be the focus.   We owe it to our future generations that they are not saddled with crippling debt.

And finally, forget any thought of a dalliance with a WRP led NZF Party.   Doing that you are playing his game and breathing oxygen into a corpse.   Post WRP and with a new leader in place some sort of accommodation might be possible but not now and certainly not for the September election.

Cheers