The New Zealand General 2023 Election 101 – We read all the policy BS so you don’t have to
Voting is integral and plays a key part in democracy but choosing between an endless list of parties, going with what your dad told you over dinner or picking “the lesser of a few evils” does not make voting an easy task. We hope this quick pros and cons list for the New Zealand election might help give you a better picture going into voting in October.
Some important observations across the board:
A lack of ‘inequality policies’ such as policies that may assist in reducing the gender pay gap, issues in female health care, and poorer health outcomes for minority communities.
Another unfortunate note is the amount of climate change and net zero policies that simply pay lip service if the climate is even mentioned at all.
Lastly, parties are relatively slow on the Tech front, with the inability to address the cybercrime crisis, unlike Australia with a dedicated Cybersecurity minister and heavy investment schemes, New Zealand lacks a secure cyber blueprint.
Policies for each party are not always explicitly easy to find, some are well evidence-based with statistics and figures and others have very little to note. This is not an exhaustive list of parties or their policies but if you are struggling to wade through the political debates, name-calling and biased reporting, we hope this may make your vote a little easier to cast.
National Party
PROS:
Electrify NZ – assisting in sector transition to clean electricity by removing barriers to produce clean energy to create enough supply.
The National Government will fund 13 cancer treatments, offer free breast cancer screening up to 74 years, and train an additional 220 doctors per year.
FamilyBoost childcare rebates – supporting families earning up to $180,000 per year with childcare subsidies. While minimal rebates, the acknowledgement of childcare challenges is important.
CONS:
Funding for policies - National would like to reduce spending on Govt. consultants and contractors by approx. $400 million a year with the expectation this work is picked up by public servants in their “regular job”. This would increase public sector workloads significantly and potentially excessively overload procedures.
National would like to Withdraw the Fair Pay Agreement legislation that allows for bargaining of minimum employment terms, this would remove requirements for Māori representation and fair wages.
Slashing working groups, task forces and reviews in Government – potentially reducing transparency and risking quality and compliance. This also removes forums for specialists and removes stakeholders from processes.
Labour Party
PROS:
Working in partnership with Māori to improve the wellbeing of communities, specifically tackling inequality with initiatives like the Māori Health Authority.
Lifting children from poverty – Labour has assisted with initiatives like the Family Package and free lunches in schools which has lifted 66,500 children out of poverty.
Labour has improved healthcare regarding access to life-saving medicines, extending free GP visits to children under 14, and reducing doctor visits.
CONS:
Labour often notes under the parties’ priorities/policies that “there’s still more work to do” without creating clear outlines and action plans on specific issues. This creates confusion and constituents do not know how the party will tackle an array of community problems. We also note policies are limited and very high level.
While Labour understands the climate challenge, a policy is not evident regarding creating nor investing in green energy to fuel the sectors that they would like to switch to clean energy.
Funding is not outlined or detailed – this provides little transparency regarding how Labour plans to fund each program of work.
ACT Party
PROS:
Easing the healthcare workforce crisis – creating a simpler pathway for comparatively similar overseas-trained doctors to work in New Zealand. As well as increasing GP funding by 13%.
Lifting the cost of living – allowing foreign supermarket chains the opportunity to invest in New Zealand. This reduces food monopolies and opens up the market to give consumers more choice and importantly, lower food costs.
Real change in Immigration – ACT will ensure that the Skilled Migrant Category offers a far more efficient and predictable pathway for migrants of all backgrounds. With a renewed approach to migration, ACT understands it’s a make-or-break policy area and wants to both improve the immigration process and bring talented people to the country.
CONS:
The removal of five tax rates on income, down to two. ACT believes that this would send a message to New Zealanders that “if you work hard and do well, you will keep more of your money”. A dangerous rhetoric to endorse, very similar to the unachievable American dream sentiment. As well as potentially increasing poverty, creating an even larger wealth divide.
ACT suggests that investing in safer communities means increasing the number of prison beds to remove criminals from the community. This policy fails to outline ways to prevent re-offending or offending in the first place. While also increasing the burden on the prison system.
Environment protection will now fall under the Environmental Protection Act which will allow landowners “to do what they like on their land”. This, summarises ACT's take on climate change and environmental issues, with very little to endorse net zero, assist in the climate change challenge or encourage a transition to clean energy.
The Opportunities Party (TOP)
PROS:
Health – fully fund contraception and support Te Whatu Ora to provide public GP practices in rural areas.
Climate change – fully funded public transport, credit for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters for under 30s and creating an electric urban bus fleet by 2030.
Legalise, regulate and tax the sale and supply of cannabis through its incorporation into the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
CONS:
Alike Labour, funding is not outlined or detailed – this provides little transparency regarding how the party plans to fund each program of work.
TOP suggests strengthening workforce retention and increasing medical placements in the healthcare system without addressing immigration (attracting talent) as well as not noting HOW to keep skilled and qualified medical practitioners in the country.
Requiring a deposit of 100% of the value of a home, if it is being purchased for investment purposes. This challenges significant sections of the market and makes it difficult for landlords and potential investors. This critical reform does little to increase the housing supply or tackle the fair housing market.
New Zealand First
PROS:
New Zealand First will remove GST from basic foods including fresh food, meat, dairy, and fish. This assists with the cost-of-living crisis and encourages healthier eating habits in communities.
The party plans to fund St John, Plunket, and Mike King’s Gumboot Friday charity, as well as, Rescue Helicopters and Surf Lifesaving NZ.
While a simplistic policy, New Zealand First hopes to get people who are receiving welfare back to work, if possible. This will enhance economic growth and further improve the quality of New Zealand’s overall society.
CONS:
New Zealand First will “restore education and stop indoctrination” about gender ideology. This transphobic approach discredits the academic theory that sex binary is more complex. Additionally, this can damage youth development and potentially impact mental health and well-being for individuals who identify within the LGBTQ+ community.
New Zealand First will formally withdraw New Zealand from UNDRIP, this is the most comprehensive instrument on the rights of Indigenous peoples. The removal from this Declaration is a direct threat to minority communities and potentially will damage Māori relations too.
New Zealand First has comparatively simple and few policies and lacks any particular detail. Additionally, funding is not outlined or detailed – this provides little transparency regarding how the party plans to fund each program of work.
The Greens
PROS:
Clean Power Payment – This will assist homeowners with the cost of upgrading to clean power. This will be funded via the Climate Emergency Response Fund which is contributed to by the “big polluters” who have large emission rates.
Justice – The Green party acknowledges the underlying precursors of offending rather than just taking a ‘tough on crime’ approach. Their justice policy attempts to take a broader approach with solutions such as a focus on restorative justice, and Māori justice. As well as a detailed outline of gender-based violence.
Healthcare – Free dental care for New Zealanders, including Māori-for-Māori dental health services, free annual check-ups, mobile dental vans, and free basic dental care.
CONS:
Although the Green Party offers highly detailed and intensive policies for all aspects of New Zealand’s society, fiscal policy is limited, and funding options are overly optimistic.
Withdrawing Aotearoa New Zealand from the Five Eyes spying network would potentially damage international relations and diplomacy networks. Intelligence and security depend upon cross-collaboration and allyship, without it, New Zealand is at a significant disadvantage.
Providing student loans for skilled migrants would have a significant impact on government spending and budgets. With a student loan crisis for graduates already, actions to remove student loans and/or make tertiary education funded for New Zealanders should be a priority first and foremost.
Sources:
https://www.act.org.nz/policies
https://www.labour.org.nz/our-priorities
https://www.top.org.nz/climate-opportunities
https://www.greens.org.nz/transport_policy
