Richard Wagstaff

Covid-19 is both a frightening rupture of the life we knew and a singular opportunity to build the better world that we want. It is giving us a chance to change direction, set tack and move swiftly into the New Zealand we always thought we were.

The fundamental settings of our pre-Covid world had us stuck on a treadmill of inequality, inequity, threadbare public services, environmental degradation and climate catastrophe.

This crisis is shining a light on what’s really important. We have a singular opportunity to transform industries and workplaces that will serve New Zealanders by providing decent jobs for workers and security for families; to rebuild depleted public services; and to carve a clear and determined path to a decarbonised future.

Making the economy work for all of us will take strong leadership from the state; in terms of planning, investment, job creation and deep involvement of working New Zealanders, businesses, iwi, and local communities.

The state can raise the bar both in what it does directly across the public sector, and also when it spends billions of dollars procuring services on behalf of the nation.

Let’s stop just buying the cheapest and forcing down quality, and instead demand higher standards of service, better wages and better workplaces from those firms who contract with the state.

Everywhere we look there is the opportunity for productive investment in key infrastructure, new and better jobs and new business opportunities.

There is plenty of work to be done to restore our public health system, provide enough social housing, fix our ailing water infrastructure and ageing school buildings.

Public transport needs to be built up, and so does infrastructure for safe cycling and walking.

We need more renewable energy and to reforest degraded lands. We need to restore biodiversity and eradicate the pests that are killing our taonga. New sustainable industries also need strong state support if they are going to emerge and thrive.

They will need capital, training, research and development, planning and an industry based employment relations framework if they are going to become world class, highly productive and pay decent wages.

Now is the time to plan. And this time, to do it properly, with unions, government and employers involved, and the needs of all New Zealanders front and centre.

It is working people who are the foundation of our society, and they must be supported with training and decent terms and conditions of employment.

We need workplaces that are a real source of wellbeing for people. We want all working people to be able to derive a sense of pride, meaning, dignity and respect at work.

Now is the time for the voices of working people and their union representatives to be included and properly heard in the workplace and across industries.

Getting ourselves in shape won’t happen overnight and it can’t happen with a business as usual attitude.

Bold thinking and bold leadership is required to chart a path and to make the transition – a transition that is just and supports everyone along the way.

And then we might just stand a chance of being – as the prime minister would say – the country that we think we are.

Now is the time to plan. And this time, to do it properly, with unions, government and employers involved.