Amanda Vickers from Kāpiti is the Social Credit Party deputy leader who is standing in the Ōtaki electorate.
Social Credit has selected a veterinarian as its general election candidate for the Ōtaki electorate.
Amanda Vickers worked extensively in the UK with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, helping to eradicate swine fever and foot and mouth disease, before returning to New Zealand in 2003.
She has been an outspoken critic of the Trans Pacific Partnership and was involved with instigating a petition to the Governor General and with organising rallies in Wellington opposing it.
“That agreement will provide miniscule benefit to New Zealand in comparison to the negatives of allowing even more of our land and businesses to be sold to overseas buyers and gives us reduced ability to control our own destiny as a country”, says Amanda.
“Using the Reserve Bank to directly fund the government and reduce its debt would have provided an immediate and on-going benefit far in excess of what the TPPA is ever likely to, without the negatives that come with that agreement.”
She says that method of funding could also be used to build a new local hospital for the Kāpiti Coast to allow patients to be treated locally and for their whanau to provide them support without the long journey into central Wellington.
“That is something I’m committed to and will be pushing for if elected to parliament.
“No other candidate can credibly make that commitment, because none of them can identify a way to find the funds for it, and it is that reason it hasn’t already been built,” says Amanda.
“The massive debt the government has taken on in the past few weeks will be used as another excuse for it not to happen, but that need not be a barrier to a sensible funding arrangement to get it done.
“With the growth in population predicted for this area a new hospital is essential, as will be things like new primary schools, and that will also be in my sights.” she says.
Amanda is the party’s deputy leader. She lives in Waikanae with husband Alistair and their two teenage children.
For more see www.socialcredit.nz
