The following is an opinion piece written by BestInBounds for the NZ Herald.

As I write to you we are roughly 3 or so weeks into the parliamentary term, 17 days since the cabinet was released. The Government, for the most part, has remained stable and despite the poll's showing a recent upwards swing for the post-merger Green party, it has come at the expense of its coalition allies, namely the Labour and Maori parties. Yet the Greens cannot derive too much credit as their success is much to do with the total disintegration of New Zealand first's leadership over the last week or so. The resignation of popular MP and Deputy leader ItsKittay sent shockwaves through the political world on both sides of the spectrum, this was followed shortly thereafter by the quiet resignation of leader Big Donna, both of whom were promptly replaced by the members Imnofox and block denied. One may draw a conclusion that the sudden departures of both members point to an unsettling instability within the Official opposition (OO). Yet, when all sums are calculated, this is not remotely surprising.

New Zealand First is a party which specialises in inflammatory rhetoric targeting extremist views for greater "shock factor", and while my colleagues and I are never quite surprised at the nonsense spouted by NZF they seem to have gathered a following based on faux-wokeness rather than genuine policy. One only need look at their most recent arrival, political newcomer u/Winston_Wilhelmus for a representation of New Zealand firsts 'values'. The Covid-19 pandemic has crippled economies and job markets worldwide and yet NZF seems to welcome a member who not only denies the validity of this virus but also subscribes to a viewpoint commonly held by incels and other such degenerates. Views which shouldn't place in a decent society, let alone our revered parliament house.

Inset: Recent Tweet from Winston Wilhelmus

Incel sympathiser aside, New Zealand First continue to dominate the headlines for all the wrong reasons, making a mockery of our democracy and their position in the official opposition. They've been widely panned for the arrest Derulo bill which sought to arrest and "hold accountable" Jason Derulo for perceived treasonous offences. A puzzling move given NZF's position on individual freedoms. This is not where it ends sadly, as over the last few months New Zealanders on Twitter have been subject to a variety of baseless claims by new Zealand first members both past and present, with New Zealand first relishing the attention such conspiracy theories earned them.

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Inset: New Zealand First leader Imnofox on the dangers of 5G.

Current leader New Zealand First is the ringleader in this gang of misinformed, fake news propagandists preying on the (misplaced) fears of Kiwi's. There is no evidence that shows 5G to be of any harm to the rollout of New Zealanders and NZF's implication to the contrary is nothing more than the neo-Luddite musings of a party totally out of touch with reality, and the real issues facing New Zealanders. Xenophobia and Racism have been a brand closely tied with New Zealand first since their inception, yet it seems the advocation of such American conspiracy theories seems to be a weapon in New Zealand first's arsenal of discrimination.

Let's turn to the current government, led by FTMP. The rainbow coalition to date has begun with slow, yet positive changes. However be under no illusions, this is but the calm before the communist storm. Do not forget, the Greens (who are the real powerbrokers behind this government) have aligned themselves with the worker's party, whose party secretary Unorthodox Ambassador openly advocated for the violent overthrow of a democratically elected Government - who, lacking the backbone to deny these extremist terrorists a place in power instead granted them the portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Health and Urban Development and imbuing the greens with the title of communist enablers.

inset: Unorthodox ambassador calls for a revolution following the election

Under a Workers party minister, we can kiss goodbye any hope of a productive relationship with the private sector and instead welcome more unrelenting bureaucracy and red tape which will further hinder the lives of everyday Kiwis. If the colossal failure of the previous Labour government and it's socialist associates is anything to go by, then ACT stands ready to emancipate the housing market from the tyrannical grip of unnecessary rules and regulation. Yet the problems with the current cabinet do not end there, the Internet candidate was appointed to the role of ministers of regional development, an interesting decision given that the internet minister themself has given no previous indication of being suited to, nor interested in on of the most crucial portfolios the government maintains. Indeed, this is indicative of a troubling nonchalant attitude towards the regions, with part of the coalition agreement seemingly banning two important sources of regional income in greyhound racing and rodeos. Now, this is not to say that there shouldn't be basic safety guidelines in place - however if the government had any sense they wouldn't want to cut even more jobs in these unstable times.

Maori affairs is another area of contention, with equally qualified candidates for the position being placed lower on the list the Greens saw fit to appoint the Palagi u/artemis_jasper to the role. ACT is a firm believer in what you do being more important than anything else, and while the verdict is still out on the young deputy leader, the signs are less than promising. It seems Artemis has adopted the left's penchant for bad-faith responses, instead of responding to the question itself, seemingly attacking

Artemis replies in parliament to BestInBounds during question time

the semantics rather than the substance of the question. An odd response for someone who has constantly echoed the left's anti-partisan rallying cry. As of the time of writing, Artemis has yet proven themself unable to respond to a question that essentially asks them - What will they do to improve Maori lives? However, do not be too hasty to judge, given the minister's relative inexperience it is somewhat plausible that they may bring a fresh face to a role badly in need of innovation.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the speech from the throne either. One which provided zero hope to hardworking Kiwi's who have done exactly what we ask them to. That is, work hard, pay their tax and provide for their families. Instead of providing much-needed leeway in these tough times, they promise a 3% property tax on all entities. There are not enough words in the dictionary for me to do justice to the complete and total contempt I hold for the socialist bureaucrats with no practical experience heaping yet another tax on kiwi's regardless of incomes. Why are they punishing blue-collar Kiwi's for the "crime" of earning a living, why are they promoting more financial instability at a time where we are all suffering from these circumstances. When the messaging during and after the covid outbreak is "be kind" it is ironic that the government's actions are anything but. On top of that, Covid was mentioned a grand total of once throughout the entire speech, it is an excellent achievement to largely ignore the greatest crisis of our country this century.

The Greens have consolidated their stranglehold in the most recent week, with the recently announced merger between Green-Left and TOP providing a united front for the left to attack Kiwi's future with. It may be a sign of things to come as the Deputy Prime ministership and the portfolio of Justice now fall into the hands of the Greens. Where the greens have stabilised, another ally has undergone a radical overhaul with the recent news that Labour leader u/NeatSaucer has stepped down from the leadership to be replaced by u/IAmVeryIntellectual, with a political landscape undergoing so much turmoil it should not surprise you in the least to find that ACT remains the last bastion of common sense, decency, and stability in New Zealand politics. We will continue to fight for policies which benefit all New Zealanders, and push back against extremism, from both sides of the spectrum. That is our promise to all Kiwis regardless of affiliation.

BestInBounds,

Deputy Leader of ACT.