Emerging from its annual conference, the ACT Party’s leadership appears to regard itself already as a key element in the next government.
ACT leader David Seymour had the conference cheering as he spoke of how ACT would ensure in the first hundred days of the next government, Labour’s measures on Three Waters, the Māori Health Authority, the 39c tax rate, and Fair Pay Agreements would all be gone, just as ACT’s policies on 90-day trials, three strikes, oil and gas exploration and charter schools would be reinstated.
No surprises there.
But ACT will need far more than this if it is to win over the thousands of additional votes to make certain it does have a powerful voice, rather than being just a prop for National. It will need Cabinet ministers in influential roles.
Most of the issues highlighted by Seymour are likely to get National’s support or are changes which National already has said it will enact. He admits getting them to repeal the Zero Carbon Act will be harder.
Almost certainly ACT should turn its attention to other issues that are troubling NZ voters. Education standards under Labour have slipped so far down the international ladder that NZ is in danger of developing an uneducated underclass which will spend a lifetime on the dole.
In 2020 NZ had 64,877 students chronically absent and at least 10,000 more not enrolled anywhere.
But in that year not one parent in NZ was prosecuted for non-attendance or non-enrolment of their child(ren). 76% of Auckland’s Pasifika students are in decile 1-3 schools, 48.9% of Maori, 16.4% of Asian and 5% of European.
Only 14.4% of Auckland young people are attaining degrees.
The current Auckland NEET rate is the highest since 2010. In the year to December 2021 more than 10,000 Auckland 15- to 24-year-olds were Not in Employment, Education or Training.
These startling statistics (quoted by educationist Alwyn Poole) underline the action that will be needed to ensure the education system’s expectations are met — and just where ACT could appeal to the voters, who only now are learning what is happening (or not happening) to the next generation.
Just as worrying is the declining capability of NZ’s defence forces. This is not because the forces themselves have had any influence on that, but simply because so many units were required for Covid duties, with the result many quit for more positive service elsewhere.
The first requirement, of course, is to modernise the equipment of in particular the Army, with guided missiles and drones.
Until ACT broadens its appeal, it may find its support does not advance far from where current polling suggests it is hovering at present. The two parties — National and ACT — have inched up to 48% but would be dependent on the Maori Party to get into government.
There seems little likelihood of the Maori Party in its present composition doing that.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
Most of the issues highlighted by Seymour are likely to get National’s support or are changes which National already has said it will enact. He admits getting them to repeal the Zero Carbon Act will be harder.
“We’re going to have to push very hard on that one, because they’ve committed themselves so heavily, but I think it’s worth doing,” he said.
Almost certainly ACT should turn its attention to other issues that are troubling NZ voters. Education standards under Labour have slipped so far down the international ladder that NZ is in danger of developing an uneducated underclass which will spend a lifetime on the dole.
In 2020 NZ had 64,877 students chronically absent and at least 10,000 more not enrolled anywhere.
But in that year not one parent in NZ was prosecuted for non-attendance or non-enrolment of their child(ren). 76% of Auckland’s Pasifika students are in decile 1-3 schools, 48.9% of Maori, 16.4% of Asian and 5% of European.
Only 14.4% of Auckland young people are attaining degrees.
The current Auckland NEET rate is the highest since 2010. In the year to December 2021 more than 10,000 Auckland 15- to 24-year-olds were Not in Employment, Education or Training.
These startling statistics (quoted by educationist Alwyn Poole) underline the action that will be needed to ensure the education system’s expectations are met — and just where ACT could appeal to the voters, who only now are learning what is happening (or not happening) to the next generation.
Just as worrying is the declining capability of NZ’s defence forces. This is not because the forces themselves have had any influence on that, but simply because so many units were required for Covid duties, with the result many quit for more positive service elsewhere.
The first requirement, of course, is to modernise the equipment of in particular the Army, with guided missiles and drones.
Until ACT broadens its appeal, it may find its support does not advance far from where current polling suggests it is hovering at present. The two parties — National and ACT — have inched up to 48% but would be dependent on the Maori Party to get into government.
There seems little likelihood of the Maori Party in its present composition doing that.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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