In a detailed statement, PNC laid out the principles it believes should guide the coming national budget: discipline, fairness across the atolls, and investment in the things that make island life affordable.
The party welcomed continued investment in infrastructure but urged that spending be weighted toward the communities that have historically received the least.
Where the focus should be
Housing remains the single greatest pressure on family budgets, the statement said, followed closely by the cost of moving goods and people between islands. The party called for targeted measures in both areas.
A budget is a statement of priorities. Ours begins with the family in the smallest island, not the largest project.
The party committed to scrutinising the budget line by line and to publishing its own analysis once the figures are tabled.