Kate Hawkesby: Final thoughts before the election

Well this is the last time I talk to you before Saturday... although we’ll all be here Saturday night. Mike, me, Heather, and Barry, if you want to tune into ZB’s election coverage or watch it live streamed on the ZB or Herald websites, we’ll be here. Depending on how it goes if you look closely on the livestream you may see me tearing my hair out.  

Honestly, I’ll be glad to see the back of it. It’s been too long, too divisive, too feisty, too nasty. I think that’s all been a turn off for voters and it may go towards explaining the current apathy. If the polls don’t pick up Saturday, then I think that says something about how this whole campaign —from every side— has been run. The sniping, accusations and insults has been gross. The misinformation that’s been allowed to run unchecked, fuelled by media, has been a disappointment.

Christopher Luxon said on this station yesterday when Kerre asked him what’s true and what isn’t given all these attack ads that he was grateful to be given the opportunity to clarify that, given no journalist had asked him that yet. Can you believe that? All the disinformation out there and not one journalist stopping to ask if it’s even true. Luxon says he’s confused as to why the media waste time asking random inane questions like, ’do you believe in dinosaurs?’ which then becomes a feature on the 6 o’clock news over and above policy that will impact the daily lives of New Zealanders.  

Labour has a high-powered machine of negative publicity blitzing National these last couple of days, making claims that simply are not true. Attacks is all they have, but the sad thing is how many people may fall for it without checking for themselves or reading the policy. How many believe the attacks and think National will cut their winter energy payments? (Not true) Or sack teachers (not true), add interest to student loans (not true), drop University fees free (not true), the list is endless. Luxon says they’ve tried to counter all this misinformation, but if the media won’t cover it, how do they get cut through?  

But the key thing we as voters need to start doing I think, alongside understanding MMP better, is think more big picture.  

We’re so in the weeds now and into the micro, that we’re not pulling back and looking at the bigger picture. A change of government is one thing, but it’s not enough – that government needs to be able to act decisively to elicit wholesale change to turn around the direction of this country. If it can’t do that, if it's encumbered by in fighting, hobbled by the handbrake that is Winston and his petty demands, or him siphoning off money for side shows like the provincial growth fund, then they achieve nothing. They’re ineffective, and we don’t get the change we need.  

And then come 2026, they’re potentially out. The country lurches left again – probably with a new iteration of a fresh version of a Jacinda, and with a greater push to move further left, back to all the things Hipkins shelved like a wealth tax and a capital gains tax.  

We don’t want to waste 3 years on a circus act. We need proper government that can be bold decisive and effective, and if there are too many pieces in that puzzle, then it won’t be real impactful change.  

Anyway we’ll know, hopefully tomorrow night just how messy or otherwise it’s looking. And if you haven't voted already just remember, your most important vote is your party vote. 

Kate Hawkesby is a journalist and broadcaster who hosts the Early Edition show on Newstalk ZB.