Brooke van Velden: Labour Government is fanning the flames of division
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell Opinion Ive never felt so much division in our country before, Its us and them, Ive been made out as a bad person but Im just doing what I thinks the right thing. These are comments Ive heard over the past few weeks out in the community while Parliament has been on recess. The same message repeatedly, the sense of division, discord and disconnect in New Zealand has never been stronger. I feel it too. Nearly everyone I talk to falls into a camp of being blamed or to blame for the issues we face as a country. Whether its landlords vs tenants, wealthy vs working poor, farmers vs climate activists, business owners vs workers, vaccinated vs unvaccinated, the list is endless and growing. Whatever the issue, people are pitted against each other. This division didnt happen overnight. But under Labours leadership, it feels much worse than it used to. Much of Labours policy has taught us that if only someone wasnt so wrong about something then our problem would be fixed. It has set us down a dangerous and divisive path of telling one group of people that another group is to blame for their problems rather than admitting the Government might be responsible. Heres a few examples: With the cost of living crisis putting the squeeze on everyone, instead of coming up with solutions to help Kiwis, the Government is again trying to find a scapegoat in the form of wealthy people. Last week, the Government released its report into some of the wealthiest Kiwis and said they didnt pay their fair share of tax. Instead of witch hunts and blame games, the Government should be focused on how to make the boat go faster for all Kiwis. Too many Kiwi families are struggling just to keep their heads above water. They deserve real solutions, not tall-poppy syndrome. We need to focus on policies that unite us, not divide us. We need to focus on our common humanity and dignity, rather than placing people into boxes and labelled as either good or bad. Were better than that. The Government isnt responsible for every instance of division that occurs, but it doesnt need to stoke the fires for political gain either. After all, theyre meant to govern for everyone. Thats where good policy comes in. Rather than picking heroes and villains in the housing crisis, why not just make it easier to build houses? Sure, it requires long-term thinking when soundbites and slogans might be easier (KiwiBuild, anyone?), but thats what New Zealanders deserve. Act would incentivise councils to provide infrastructure for new homes by sharing half of the GST with them, wed reduce regulation on building by scrapping the RMA and replacing it with a new Urban Development Act , and we would automatically allow building materials approved by jurisdictions with high-quality regulators and similar seismic situations to ours to be used in New Zealand. Instead of pitting drivers of different vehicles against each other just to send emissions overseas, why not utilise the Emissions Trading Scheme to set a cap on total emissions in line with the actual reductions of our trading partners? This will show the world New Zealand is doing its bit. It is a simple and effective response to climate change that doesnt demonise people. Instead of dividing people by personal choice, which led to the riot at Parliament, why didnt the Government allow businesses to use the technology that was available and implement a testing policy instead? If more flexibility was allowed, then ugly scenes like the parliamentary occupation could possibly have been avoided. New Zealand has serious problems that can be fixed, but if we carry on this path of division and blaming each other its a race to the bottom. The Government can set an example with policy based on problem-solving, not blaming people. That would be a real change for the better. National unveils its health policy, Labour releases pledge card as Greens, Act push cases.