A final flourish

We’re in the final stretch of an historic election campaign, with the outcome determining how we emerge from the biggest economic shock in decades. The two women vying to lead New Zealand through the post-pandemic carnage make their pitch for your vote.

Jacinda Ardern pushes ‘strong, stable’ Labour line while Judith Collins says National has the chops to ‘pay down debt, reduce taxes and grow the economy’ as leaders make ultimate pitch for undecided voters and marathon election campaign enters its last lap.

Political leaders need to be careful about declaring an election campaign the most important in a generation. I know I’ve heard that said before, and no doubt you will have too.

But how could this one not be, during a 1 in 100-year global pandemic that is threatening the health of people and economies around the world.

These are really uncertain times and front of mind for so many of us for so long has been the impact of Covid-19 – what it means for us as individuals, as families, as a nation.

For that reason, many New Zealanders are looking beyond 2020 and that eye on the horizon is a good thing.

The choice this election boils down to something quite simple: who’s better placed to keep New Zealand safe and keep the recovery on track? That’s what each political party needs to make a case on. Here’s mine.

We need a strong, stable Government for a strong, stable recovery.

New Zealand is in better shape in our recovery than almost anywhere in the world.

Our economy is in better shape than almost anywhere in the world.*

We didn’t get here by chance. We went hard and early and rolled out a clear plan. When issues cropped up we fixed them.

We haven’t been perfect but we can be rightly proud of what we achieved together to get on top of Covid-19. Everyone played a role in our success and together we’ve set ourselves up for a strong recovery.

Right now, I believe people are asking for ongoing urgency, stability, and a clear plan.

So this election, as we cast our votes to plan for our futures, we remember that it’s not over yet.

Our aim is simple and focused. To keep New Zealanders safe and plan for the future as scientists continue to work on a vaccine.

We have a plan we will keep rolling out. To protect our health with strong, smart borders that are continually improved, creating jobs through community projects and training people with free apprenticeships for tomorrow’s jobs, boosting support for exporters to grow, and helping small businesses innovate through digital services support and interest-free loans.

The biggest risk to us now is a sudden change of course into a different political direction that destabilises us and puts our recovery at risk. We must keep the economic head-start that we earned.

That’s why this election is our most important in a generation.

That’s also why I want New Zealand to look back at this time and not just reflect on how tough it was, but what we did to make New Zealand better. The state houses we built, the waterways we protected, the community projects we invested in, and the hundreds of apprentices we trained. As one young person I met on the campaign trail in Gisborne said to me: ‘‘Covid did a lot that was bad, but we can make it do some good too.’’

New Zealand has always sought to make something good come out of the challenges that come our way.

We’re in the middle of that project right now. So let’s stick together and keep moving.

Editor’s note: Treasury expects New Zealand’s unemployment rate to hit 7.8 per cent, lower than in many other countries. GDP contracted by 12.2 per cent in the June quarter, which was better than in Britain, but worse than some countries we compare ourselves with, including Australia.