People's Choice Party (New Zealand)

The People's Choice Party is a political party in New Zealand. It was founded by Rusty Kane in New Plymouth in May 1999, and consisted primarily of former Labour Party supporters. The party campaigned against the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system and for a reduction in the size of Parliament. When it became apparent that it would not win representation in Parliament, the party endorsed the Labour Party. The party itself won 0.02% of the vote in the 1999 elections. The following year, it was deregistered. The party has since stayed active as a ginger group on local and central issues. Rusty Kane remains leader of People's Choice, although he has contested a number of elections as an independent since the party's deregistration.

Party objective

The People's Choice Party's objectives are to:
*Protect the rights of all New Zealand citizens.
*Secure New Zealand assets.
*Promote New Zealand made products.
*To pressure Central Government to pass a law to ensure all citizens' property rates are equitable, and if necessary, force councils to lower their ambitions, live within their incomes, and subsequently reduce rates burdens.
*To lobby Central Government to introduce a bill to limit all future rate rises to no more than the change in the consumer price index.
*And to severely restrict all local government and council borrowing to levels that can be easily serviced without the necessity to unreasonably increase rates and taxes in the future.