National Party leader Christopher Luxon says he would like community organisations to have more freedoms in the ways they spend their allocated funds.

Visiting Good Neighbour this afternoon, Luxon says he "wouldn't mind" a National Government giving "millions of dollars" to community organisations, as long as they could show how their projects will benefit local communities.

He adds local organisations such as Good Neighbour can do "a lot more" than Government to aid local communities with their on the ground knowledge and experience, and for many volunteers, provide a pathway to work, breaking an unemployment "cycle".

Luxon, accompanied by Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller and Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, also spoke to media earlier today about issues in Tauranga and across New Zealand.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon, accompanied by Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller and Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, speaking to media this afternoon. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

Speaking on Tauranga's absentee rate in schools, Luxon says there is a "major truancy problem" which extends across the whole of New Zealand.

"When 60 per cent of our kids are not at school regularly, and 100,000 of them are chronically absent from school, this is not what we expect of a developed country."

Luxon does not see Covid-19 to blame for the high truancy rate.

"Looking at comparative countries, they have about 75 to 85 per cent of kids going to school, and we only have about 40 per cent. It is a responsibility of parents to actually get their kids to school.

"Our parents did it for us, and as a parent we want our kids to have better opportunities than us, and the way you do that is to get them a good education."

Luxon says there is "fear and anxiety" among dairy owners. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

Luxon also claims it is the Government's "primary responsibility" to protect citizens after the fatal stabbing of an Auckland dairy worker last week.

He says many dairy owners "don't want to take calls" at night as they "are worried it is another ram raid".

"What the Government doesn't understand is these are New Zealanders that work incredibly hard," says Luxon.

"These people often have two jobs, three jobs to get a deposit for their business, they then work incredibly hard in their business and do everything we ask them to do.

"They try to get opportunities for their kids which they didn't get to have, and have come to New Zealand after leaving everything behind with the hope of a new future, and it's all destroyed after a ram raid or a senseless act of violence."

Luxon adds the Government is in a "Wellington bubble" and needs to "get out and talk" to dairy owners on the ground who have "fear and anxiety" among them.