A former Aranui High School teacher had announced he’s standing for the Christchurch East seat.

Matt Stock has been selected as National’s candidate and said “people here are struggling to get by thanks to a cost-of-living crisis fueled by a billion dollars per week of extra spending from Labour.

“ Families already stretched to the limit by the sky-high cost of filling the shopping trolley or the car are wondering how on earth they’ll find hundreds of dollars more every week to cover the mortgage as interest rates are hiked to put the lid on Labour’s runaway inflation.

“I’m standing for National because it’s the only party with a plan to strengthen our economy and lower the cost of living for people here in Christchurch East, and the only party with the ability to deliver on it.

“We’ll restore discipline to government spending, stop loading costs on business, eliminate bottlenecks in the economy and we’ll let hardworking Kiwis keep more of what they earn.

“A big concern here in Christchurch East is rising crime making people feel unsafe in their own communities. The number of victimisations in our police district, which includes assaults, robberies and thefts, rose by 55 per cent between 2017 and 2022.

“Ramraids and robberies feel like a daily occurrence in Christchurch and it’s clear we’re being let down by the Government on law and order.

“National will back our police to restore law and order with new tools to hold serious young offenders to account and tackle gang crime.

“I’m thrilled to have the chance to campaign in Christchurch East on the National Party policies that will make a real difference to people here. Our plans to deliver more nurses and midwives, offer up to $75 per week in tax rebates to help families with the cost of childcare and index the tax brackets to inflation so the average household can keep $1,600 more of their own money will be huge for people here.

“My wife and I chose to raise our three children in Christchurch East because we love this community. I’m running to serve the place that we’ve called home for almost 20 years – a place I believe reflects the National Party values of strong families and caring communities.”