Letters to the Editor: Election result a warning to the right – and the left
A warning to all parties
Neither of the two major parties impressed the people on election night who, in great numbers, chose to support the smaller parties.
The outcome was quite predictable. Qiulae Wong and the Opportunity Party’s entry into Parliament was highly predicted and enough people saw in her energy, enthusiasm and the hope for something new. Democracy at work.
At least all seem “relatively” kind to each other and the sometimes violent division we see overseas was not to be detected here.
Add to that that two-thirds of New Zealanders are somewhere in the middle, the outcome will not affect anyone in a revolutionary way.
The election was a bit dull and grey with some light spots. It could have been worse.
New Zealand remains one of the best habitats in the world.
Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay.
Close-run election
The election is still too close to call, but one thing that isn’t hard to ignore is that National is not popular.
What is also clear was that there was no appetite for a left-leaning Government just yet.
The incumbents have been sent a message that they have not performed as expected.
Opportunity benefited from the stalwart National Party faithful venting their dissatisfaction, but morally being unable to lean left.
How National transitions through the next term, subject to special votes of course, with a whole new front bench of new faces in charge of the big portfolios will be a very interesting soap opera to follow through to 2029.
John Ford, Taradale.
Undemocratic democracy
What is obvious to most of the voters is that the MMP voting system is not democratic.
If it was, how can you increase Parliament by another 10 seats under MMP, and in addition bring into the House MPs who have never been heard of by the voting public simply because they were selected by their political party leaders?
The gaming of the system under MMP can only be stopped by our politicians, but the question is, do they have the moral persuasion to consider seeking changes to the rules which govern the current political election system?
Bruce Woodley, Birkenhead.
Unsettling election
Short-termism rules okay? Well, no ... it’s not okay?
Waking up the morning after an inconclusive and unsettling election, thoughts of where all this is taking us are foremost.
Our small scale, relative to the rest of the world, means that to get ahead, we have to do things “better than them”.
And currently, we are not.
Much of our predicament is down to structural short-termism, our three-year election timetable and short-range public works investment cycles.
We have not built a Clyde Dam equivalent since this capital asset was commissioned in 1992.
To lift our economic and social wellbeing, we must adjust our electoral and planning horizons to optimal longer period perspectives.
Larry N. Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
Uncivil politics
The second-lowest voter turnout since MMP began is not surprising.
Perhaps the weather had something to do with it, but I have the impression that people of all ages and political stripes are absolutely fed up with the feral behaviour of many campaigners and the savage ad hominem nature of debates.
Pugnaciousness is not policy. Civility trumps cattiness.
Let’s not waste the next three years with infighting and division.
Mature adult behaviour would be a welcome change.
Norm Murray, Browns Bay.
Media bias?
I see already a news media bias in reporting the election. The theme is a poor performance by Labour.
But this dialogue ignores the massive amount of funding that the right-wing Government parties had at their disposal, thanks to unfettered contributions from wealthy contributors compared with the minimal funding available to the left.
Yet, in spite of all of this advantage, the right still struggles to take control.
That is the story of this election.
Kevin Menzies, Onehunga.
Try co-operation
MMP has issues, firstly, too many politicians. The House should have been limited to 90, maximum.
The worst thing about MMP is most people voted National and the second-biggest turnout was for Labour.
So why can’t they stop throwing their toys and co-operate to form the Government we actually voted for?
Do we really need an “Opposition” to trash every good idea that comes from the ruling party?
Randel Case, Howick.
Trapped children
Per capita, New Zealand has the highest number of children trapped in permanent poverty in the western world.
Under the coalition’s watch, it has grown from 63,000 to 106,000, where it is currently.
It would seem that Labour leader Chris Hipkins didn’t care to give it a mention in the lead-up to the election so now it’s up to National leader Christopher Luxon to do something about it, considering Unicef ranked our overall child wellbeing at 32nd out of 37 high-income countries with a United Nations report card also highlighting that Kiwi children are being left behind, consistent with the New Zealand Government’s failure to recognise the legal rights of the child in accord with the articles of the UN convention.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
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