Nicolson confirmed as Act candidate
Ex-Federated Farmers president will stand against Bill English.
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Ex-Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson has been confirmed as an Act Party candidate for the November election.
The badly-kept secret was made official by party leader Don Brash this afternoon.
Mr Nicolson, who farms near Invercargill, will stand in the Clutha-Southland electorate, pitting him against National's Bill English - but his main goal will be to campaign for party votes for Act.
He said he did not expect to win the seat but he did hope to convince farmers to give their party vote to Act.
In announcing Mr Nicolson's candidacy, Mr Brash said Act was not looking for electorate votes anywhere outside the Epsom electorate, instead targeting the party vote around the country.
One of the reasons Mr Nicolson was attracted to Act was that he identified with Act's core principles of individual choice, freedom and personal responsibility, and that he was particularly concerned about spiralling government spending and the costs and constraints on economic growth imposed by the Resource Management Act.
“I'm pleased to be standing for the party that will hold the government to account over its borrowing and spending.
“I look at it like this: I've spent my working life paying back my borrowings out of earnings, but now find the government is borrowing around $4000 a year for every New Zealander.
“If bigger government is good – and the total crown cost has multiplied by 2.5 in 11 years to almost $100 billion – then why is it that health, policing and education never seem to have enough money?”
Mr Nicolson said he was first approached to stand for Act about a year ago by former party leader Rodney Hide.
Colin Williscroft
Tue, 12 Jul 2011
Tue, 12 Jul 2011
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Nicolson confirmed as Act candidate
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