6 July 2005

Barnard to campaign for Progressive party votes in Manukau East

The Progressive party has selected its candidate in the Manukau East electorate for this year's election where he will be campaigning exclusively for party votes.

"I am delighted that Trevor Barnard will be carrying Progressive's banner in Manukau East this year. With his vast experience in education and local body government, Trevor is an excellent candidate to articulate our pro-business with a social conscience message," says party deputy leader, Hon. Matt Robson MP.

"I strongly support the pro-economic development and anti-drugs policies which Jim Anderton's Progressive party has brought to the heart of Helen Clark's government over the past six years," Trevor Barnard said.

"My message this election is that if you support the way our coalition government has established a New Zealand-owned Kiwibank, where profits stay in our country instead of going to overseas' owners, if you support the way our government has introduced policies that help working families, like a minimum of Four Weeks Annual Leave for workers, and if you want these types of progressive policies to continue then your party vote needs to go to Progressive," Mr Barnard said.

"That is because by giving your party vote to Progressive you can strengthen the chances of getting the type of Labour-led government that will continue to deliver to working families," he said.

Progressive is campaigning this year on a platform that includes doubling the number of apprenticeships, ensuring that everyone aged under 20 is in either a job or alternatively in training and doing more to help low-income families get the deposit for their first home.

The party's student debt-relief policy proposes to cut the debt burden of graduates in return for them committing to use their skills working in New Zealand while its policy to reduce youth binge drinking includes raising the alcohol purchasing age to 20, better controlling the marketing of alcohol and toughening up on those caught supplying liquor to minors.

See also: www.progressiveparty.org.nz/candidates

TREVOR BARNARD - MANUKAU EAST

Trevor Barnard is 47 years old and is a lecturer in the Further Education department at Manukau Institute of Technology. He has recently returned from the United States where he was teaching high school on an exchange programme.

Trevor Barnard is particularly interested in local government and has served a term as an Auckland City Councillor.
He has a Master of Education Studies from Auckland University and a Business Diploma
from Manukau Institute Technology. Trevor is an active sportman, regularly participating in half marathons.

ENDS

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