- New Zealand’s recent election results usher in the most right-wing government in modern history, led by a coalition of National, ACT, and NZ First.
- Shift to the right attributed to concerns like the cost-of-living crisis, rising crime rates, dissatisfaction with Labour, and opposition to perceived divisive policies.
On the 4th of November, two weeks after the New Zealand General Election, the results of the final vote count came through confirming the fears of the nation’s left and affirming the hopes of the right. New Zealanders had voted in the most right-wing government in the nation’s modern history. The coalition of the centre right National party, libertarian ACT party, and populist NZ First looks set to run the country for the next three years.
The 2023 election marks a sharp turn from 2020 when kiwis voted in droves for the centre left Labour party handing them their best result in 70 years and the first ever majority in parliament by a single party since the advent of the country’s mixed member proportional system in 1993. Since then, the tides have shifted drastically.
Then PM Jacinda Ardern shot to widespread acclaim for her response to the 2019 Christchurch Terror Attacks in which 51 innocent Muslims were martyred by a white supremacist. Her words, “They Are Us” will be etched onto the tablets of modern political history. Alongside this the Ardern government moved swiftly to pass legislation banning semi-automatics. Furthermore, her government was praised for passing the Zero Carbon Bill which committed the government to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and its response to the Covid-19 pandemic which was estimated to have saved around 20,000 lives by one account.
But despite all this, for many hopeful voters the Labour government ultimately failed to deliver on the transformational changes it campaigned on. Child poverty isn’t anywhere close to being eradiated and the housing crisislooms over the heads of many who have been unable to purchase their first homes due to skyrocketing prices.
After suffering months of plummeting ratings, Ardern resigned earlier this year and cemented Labour’s defeat. Opinion polling since March has shown Labour and National diverging rapidly. Since 2020, Labour has lost half of its votes. The incoming government has been dubbed by several analysts as being the most right-wing government in recent times largely due to the inflammatory rhetoric used by the leaders of ACT and NZ First.
But how did this all come to pass? Easily the most significant issue in the build up to the election last month was the cost-of-living crisis facing New Zealanders. Inflation peaked at a 30 year high last year squeezing the pockets of the lower and middle classes. Fuel prices were amongst the highest in world sitting just above $3 a litre for instance. This had knock on effects for food prices which increased almost 10% annually since last July.
Another area in which public animus towards the Labour government grew was around crime and safety. Between 2017 and 2022, reported victims of crime in NZ grew by 12% and in 2022, the New Zealand Police recorded over 500 “ram raids” in which offenders drive a stolen car into shops to loot them. According to police data a mere 12% of ram raiders were 18 or older. Gang membership too has been on the rise; it is estimated that gang membership has doubled since 2016 reaching around 8,500 gang members. Alongside ram raids and gangs, retail crime too has risen from previous years. Despite this uptick in crime, arrests and convictions have decreased nationally.
This snapshot of crime has further irked many business owners who are upset that the government has not done enough to protect them and their livelihoods. Data from the government statistics bureau, Stats NZ showed that in 2021 the number of businesses closing exceeded the number of new businesses opening.
Aucklanders faced two additional lockdowns after Covid cases were reported in the city. These additional regional restrictions made life even tougher for lower income families and business owners situated in Auckland. They vocalised their displeasure in the recent election. In 2020, 12 of the 20 electorates in Auckland city were won by Labour candidates. In 2023, Labour won only 6.
Labour’s reputation was furthered tarnished under Chris Hipkins who took over as PM after Ardern resigned. Since this year 5 ministers have either been sacked or have quit, mostly for misconduct. The most significant of these was the former Justice Minister Kiri Allen who crashed her car, being found nearby with excess breath alcohol.
Deviating from the inclusive and empathy driven politics of Ardern, many kiwis have taken a stand against her government’s divisive race-based policies. The words “co-governance” have proved to be most controversial and ill-defined. Opposition leaders have rallied against the government for its stance on what they say is wrongfully privileging the indigenous Māori minority group in the management of water assets among other things. Further fuel to the fire was added earlier this year when it was reported that the government added Māori’s ethnicity as an indicator for evaluating which patients would receive publicly funded elective surgeries. This was subsequently put on hold after a furore by the opposition.
Populist NZ First leader Winston Peters, a vociferous critic of wokeism, has re-entered the political landscape expressing hostility regarding the growing use of Maori language in the public sector and on road signs. Similarly, ACT leader David Seymour has been a staunch detractor of Labour policy in this area, going on to argue that the country is in need of a referendum regarding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, the country’s founding document.
Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, known for his prevarication during media interviews has a momentous challenge on his hands. Whether he will address the cost of living, crime, or the country’s exceptionally poor track record on housing affordability, like many policy debacles, only time will tell.
