Where’s The Opposition?

Let me start with –

Yes, I know National, ACT and NZ First are very well funded and supported by friendly platforms, promoters, and our wealthiest – pre and post-election.

I also remember when David Seymour personally attacked journalist Benedict Collins, then ‘suggested’ he would “review” TVNZ and make them pay a dividend despite its financial struggles.

Seymour went on to call NZ media “hateful” and promised to change the media landscape with over 800 new appointments, as his host advocated for a “pogrom” of government critics.

i.e. The media is struggling financially but also significantly weakened under this government.

Next – our system is predicated on money.

In the 2023 electoral year, National raised $10.3 million, more than doubling the $4.7m raised by Labour.

RNZ has a graph showing that:

Yeah, the Coalition government’s donations significantly outgunned parties on the left.

And while there were wealthy folks who donated to Labour and the Greens, it was incomparable compared to NZ’s richest individuals and families donations:

3 more points:

1. These are only the known and declared donations
2. Paul Goldsmith buried the Independent Electoral Review recommendations ie. canned improving electoral donor transparency laws.
3. ACT and National are supported by cashed up groups which act for them – during elections and after. For example, Taxpayers Union has been called “ACT in drag” and a “political apparatus” of the National Party in Nicky Hager’s ‘Dirty Politics’. Taxpayers Union had income of $2.8 million in 2022.

These right wing allies including Taxpayers Union, Groundswell, Hobsons Pledge & an unverified American group called “Vote Better NZ” all spent big during the official election period last year for the Coalition.

RNZ:

i.e. A lot of money went in – and the right wing government won.

Even before hand, Jordan Williams boasted to Atlas Network it was in the bag:

“An upcoming election is expected to deliver a government more favorable to market-based thinking in New Zealand..[We will] establish New Zealand as a pro-freedom policy laboratory.”

Finally, one of NZ’s richest families, the Wright Family which runs Best Start, funds Sean Plunkett.

Now that is all said to make clear the right is extremely well resourced.

Overpoweringly perhaps.

Still and despite this all –

Where is the opposition?

To be fair – I have seen the left bloc parties in Parliament and they are all doing a great job at holding our government to account there – and responding through press releases.

This is one I recorded –

But still – it’s not enough.

The media is not leading with Opposition headlines – as they did when Luxon and Seymour were in opposition.

Many are not even bothering to properly cover opposition perspectives in their articles. e.g. Stuff when quoting Simeon Brown’s 3 Waters comments earlier in the year.

And Stuff were very happy to pursue Golriz Ghahraman over a few dresses, and camp outside her home for days – but exhibit restraint and relative silence when it comes to Casey Costello’s obvious tobacco links that will cost Kiwi lives, or Nicola McKee’s gun lobbyist ties and her lying about her role in the Christchurch terrorist gun laws.

The opposition leaders and narratives are not coming across.

So where is the responsibility?

• Is it a matter of money and resources?
• Media alliances? [Ignore NZME – there is no doubt here]
• Influence?
• David Seymour’s “promises” having a chilling effect on media?
• Corporate ad money?
• The strategy by this government to throw so much out so fast that media simply cannot catch up?
• Struggling media landscape – hemorrhaging money in some quarters such that their resources are unable to cope anymore?

Chlöe Swarbrick once said she wanted the Green Party to be the leading left wing voice. Which I thought at the time meant a non-collaborative approach. And Chris Hipkins and Labour appear to be largely re-calibrating after their loss. Te Pati Māori are solid in Parliament, but largely absent from media.

So many are wondering where the opposition is.

I personally see the unions speaking up and standing strong – and that is very welcome – especially for a sector that has been effectively annihilated in strength through successive Labour and National governments.

But can we have more leadership all round?

Yesterday, David Seymour announced the government would make it easier for wealthy foreigners to buy up NZ.

That’s after revelations Ministers Chris Bishop, Shane Jones, and Simeon Brown instructed their fast-track “independent” advisory panel to ignore all and any environmental implications, and take all applications on face value i.e. accept whatever the applicants say.

No coincidence $500,000 of political donations overlapped with ‘successful applicants.

Then there’s the rapid increase in jobseekers from a government that has eliminated almost 7000 public service roles while simultaneously making it harder for people out of work, crashed the construction sector before moving in to underwrite private developers with taxpayer money, increased debt – not for productivity measures – but rather $12bn of govt borrowing for tax cuts, put more children into poverty, overturned ~10 years of NZ court decisions to bring seabed mining to NZ, and increased speed limits around school zones despite evidence it saves lives.

And I haven’t even touched on Luxon’s message that everything in NZ is up for privatisation under their government – our hospitals, health systems, schools, water infrastructure – while his govt. systematically underfunds Health in a replay of the UK and facilitates easier money laundering.

So I think it would be good – if possible – for Labour, the Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori to form a united front and muster genuine co-operation.

That could be a strength.

Can it be done?

I don’t know.

But I think it’s a country over party type of moment – and I for one hope that we’ll see more of our Opposition united, co-operating and leading.

Reposted from Substack.