August 15, 2017
Boot camp promise sign of desperation
New Zealand First deputy leader Ron Mark says voters can't trust National to deliver on its promise to create boot camps for young offenders.
The policy to create a new category of young serious offenders who would be shipped off to Waiouru for training by Defence Force personnel has been condemned by other parties and justice reform campaigners.
But Mr Mark, a former soldier, says the policy could appeal not only to people in the provinces but to many older, conservative Maori who remember their own military service.
He says National made the same promise in 2008.
"They didn't implement the boot camps, having hoovered up all the votes on the back of such a popular policy. The first thing they did was to give themselves a tax cut. Now that's where their priorities lie and right now out in rural provincial New Zealand they are losing supporters, party members, donors, volunteer workers hand over fist and they are bleeding and they have pulled this out of their rear end to try to stem the flow," Mr Mark says.
National also cut funds for the army's Limited Service Volunteer scheme, which targeted the same hard to reach group.
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