“The election campaign is a bit of a circus back at the moment the media have done that to it. I just expect that in the final week or so that people will get to focus on the key issues that always should dominate election campaigns”
The New Zealand government will increase its development budget if it is re-elected later this month.
That’s what that country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tupa’i Murray McCully, told the Samoa Observer this week.
In Apia for the 2014 Small Island Developing States Conference (S.I.D.S.), Tupa’i said 60 per cent of New Zealand’s aid budget was spent in the Pacific.
“Which means S.I.D.S. is core business for us,” he said.
“In particular we have bumped up our programs in Polynesia very substantially and we will maintain that."
“As many people know we have been doing all of this on a flat-line budget over the last three years."
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“From next year now that we have got the earthquake expenditure behind us and the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) behind us, we have got an increased development budget."
“So I am looking forward to the opportunity to have more resource to spend where we have had that luxury for quite a few years.”
Minister Tupa’i said he believes his government had been doing the right stuff and “want to do more of it.”
“It has been a great thrill for me to come here and see the opening of the solar array just across the road,” he said.
“That is an undertaking that has been completed in four months flat."
“People at this conference cannot believe that development projects can be done that quickly."
“I think we need to play a part in shifting the expectations in development community, we need to get more projects that move as quickly as that one did.”
When asked why To'osavili John Key was not in attendance at the conference, Tupa’i said he is campaigning hard every day in New Zealand at the moment.
“We are two and a half weeks from an election so he is not going anywhere,” he said.
With regards to the Pacific vote, Tupa’i said the last few years have seen a significant base of support for the National Party from Pacific Island members of the community.
“That is not something that used to be the case,” he said. “It is a result of a number of things but we are fortunate to have also some very strong pacific candidates including Members of Parliament and Ministers."
“The Pacific vote has become a very important part of New Zealand elections.”
And how did he feel about the up coming election?
“You know, I am always pretty composed about these things,” he answered.
“The public are going to sort it out the way they want it and you have to respect that process."
“The election campaign is a bit of a circus back at the moment the media have done that to it."
“I just expect that in the final week or so that people will get to focus on the key issues that always should dominate election campaigns "
“I think that is what the public are doing that is why the poll haven’t moved very much in recent times.”
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