The employment of New Zealanders is our first planning priority.
Unemployment is a huge cost to the nation.
It is a direct cost to taxation, it contributes to the level of crime, and makes demands on our health system. Essentially employment creation is dependent upon wealth creation and a system which efficiently distributes that wealth. Businesses, particularly small businesses, are the major employers and job and wealth creation is dependent upon such enterprises thriving. New Zealand has a small domestic market. As a result business development and wealth creation must be export led.