I am 53 years old, married and a father of three teenage children. I was born and raised in Hamilton and worked in the agricultural sector most of my working life, initially as a research technician, but for the past 22 years I have been running my own business as an independent agronomist advising farmers on soil fertility issues and mineral deficiencies affecting animal health and production.
 
I put my name forward as an ACT Party candidate because of the principles and policies the ACT Party stands for and which I believe are those that will work best for our country in the future. I am very much against the ETS which is going to burden all New Zealanders, costing us $500 million a year, which goes into the pockets of carbon-traders and forestry corporates. This will not make any difference to our behaviour, and the supposition that global warming is anthropogenic is itself dubious. This planet has been going through natural heating and cooling cycles for centuries. That the ETS will particularly penalise livestock farmers for their cattle and sheep, which naturally belch methane as a result of grazing pasture, will negatively affect an industry which historically and in the future, will be the backbone of our nation's export income. Putting good pasture land into trees reduces the productive capacity of the soil, will reduce overall income, as welll as job opportunities in the long term for future generations.

The ACT Party also has economic policies that will work in our current global economic crisis. For the past 20 years or more, the financial portfolio has been run by career politicians who don't really understand economics. The leader of the ACT Party, Dr Don Brash, is a leading economist who can guide us through the messy waters of the fragile global economy.

The ACT Party also stands for individual responsibility and accountability for peoples' actions; not burdening the taxpayer with the bad choices of others, should they refuse to contribute positively to the community and their own well-being. The ACT Party would also like to repeal the so-called ‘anti-smacking’ legislation which 87% of New Zealanders opposed, which criminalises good parents, and wastes a lot of police time on trivial incidents when they should be concentrating on real criminals. This legislation has made no difference to the appalling number of children killed by adults since its inception. ACT would also like to see an end of race-based politics in our country, treating ALL New Zealanders the same whether of European, Maori, Pacific Island, Chinese, Indian or African origin.

Personally, I have no intention to become a politician and am not a list candidate, but I am putting my energies and time into promoting the ACT Party as its policies and the people in it will make a positive contribution to this nation.

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