Appetite for change

At long last, we have a degree of consensus in our politics. Amid the cacophony of this election’s policy auctions and the big swings in party fortunes, the new Government’s agenda is clear on important fronts. Readers will not yet necessarily know what stripe of government it is – as the magazine went to print, the Thursday decision deadline had been extended – but whichever way it goes, it was a real contest between the two main parties. This had the welcome effect of ensuring each had to focus on solutions to profoundly serious problems, notably family poverty, health care and the parlous state of our waterways.

With the campaign arguments over, there is a plain and shared recognition of the need for action. We’re all aware of such issues as teacher shortages and the need to build new houses. Regardless of party, the Government will have a clear set of priorities and a new sense of urgency.

Poverty, particularly when it afflicts children, is exacerbated by the fact that too much housing is substandard, overcrowded and unaffordable. Far too many children are being serially uprooted from schools, handicapping their learning and social development, because of their families’ housing insecurity. Creative solutions abound, such as the development of prefabricated housing and the temporary engagement of giant massbuild construction companies’ teams. But they need state impetus to get going.

The question of charging for water was hotly debated in the campaign, but all parties share a resolve to grapple with protective and restorative measures to clean up our waterways. Let’s hope there’s a commensurate determination to get the rural sector onside, rather than blame and punish it. Farmers are among the leaders in restoring and protecting our environment.

Our methane emissions from agriculture are certainly a problem but the OECD this year also pointed out our high transport emissions – and that our per capita rate of car ownership is the highest of developed nations. We all contribute to environmental degradation, and we all suffer from it, too: politicians need to tackle it holistically. In particular, they have an obligation to build on the cross-party consensus forged by former Green MP Kennedy Graham’s multi-party parliamentary forum on climate change policy. The difficult and sometimes painful adjustments to reduce our carbon emissions will need all parties in lock-step.

With health, the new Government must address the fact that increased funding has not been delivered evenly. Far too many New Zealanders are being let down by their hospitals. Auckland’s explosive population growth makes its infrastructural shortages a national investment priority. But the Beehive’s “refresh” button should advance the city’s human-capital shortage to the top of the priority list. Auckland’s teacher shortage, in particular, is approaching crisis point. No economy can prosper without a well-educated population.

The new Government must also push reset on its transport infrastructure horizons. Electric-vehicle transport options are set to proliferate and road, rail and port location assumptions should all be examined.

The Opportunities Party’s unconditional basic income policy proved too radical for most voters, but it provoked useful debate about the job-drought that will be caused by the increasing use of artificial intelligence. Like much of the developed world, we’re unprepared for the social disruption that will follow the intelligent automation of many jobs. It will exert downward pressure on wages, and in time, the very notion of fulltime employment may be questionable. This is not our problem to solve alone, but it must be factored in to policy formulation.

The economy is, without doubt, a major priority. The share market is at a record high and our terms of trade are close to passing the 1973 high, as export prices rise. But New Zealand businesses are cautious about the outlook, as the economic cycle matures. Construction, tourism and immigration are nearing peaks. The cooling in house prices has already seen consumers spend less at the shops last month than expected. Meanwhile, families are troubled by the increasing costs of basic goods and services. If New Zealand First’s critiques of the past nine years’ administrations were more than just rhetorical, it will put such issues on the table.

Although one major party technically lost this election, the winner needs to take as many cues from those who supported its opponents as from its own supporters. Voters may not have voted for change with a capital “C”, but their message is clear: business as usual is not good enough.

The close race means each major party has had to focus on solutions to profoundly serious problems.