In the blue corner
Ithink many people will be happy to see the back end of 2021, and hopefully the backend of the likes of lockdowns and restrictions which we have had to live with over the last 20 months.
But I amoptimistic that 2022 can be a year that New Zealand can reset and together we can create a post-pandemic New Zealand which we can all prosper and succeed in.
New Zealand is at a critical crossroad right now as we dealwith, and start to emerge out of the global pandemic. The decisions this Government makes in the next year are so important, because, New Zealand has been moving in thewrong direction.
Inflation is growing faster thanwages, grocery and petrol prices are through the roof, and hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders couldn’t come home for Christmas or visit sick and dying relatives.
These are serious issues which the Government has turned a deaf ear to.
For four years we have seen great PR, big bold announcements and promises, but no delivery. Talking about something will get you the headline, but actually rolling your sleeves up and doing the work will make a difference in the lives ofNew Zealanders.
What is also going to be hugely important this year and of particular interest tome, is how the Government will respond to climate change. Climate change is undoubtedly a serious problem which we must act on, but we also need to be pragmatic about howwe address it.
Our emissions have continued to rise and since the Government declared a ‘climate emergency’ in late 2020, we have increased our coal usage.
The Government will release the Emissions Reduction Plan in May this year, in line with the budget. Right now, with ballooning national debt and poor quality spending, we can ill-afford to waste money unnecessarilywhenwe have an Emissions Trading Scheme which can reduce emissions more cost effectively than any Government policy.
The beauty of the ETS is that it works behind the scenes. While there will be situations thatwarrant a policy response, when it does we should ask howmuch will it cut emissions by and at what cost?
The Clean Car Discount is an example of a bad policy, firstly because it will not cut emissions by a single gram, because our ETS is capped, meaning the emissions will be picked up elsewhere in the economy.
2022 will be a year of opportunities aswe work towards living with Covid-19, but as a country we need to seize the opportunities to grow our standard of living, and increase productivity. The National party is focused on that.