thousands of New Zealanders are making their views known on the parliament forcecourt today as the campaign draws to a close. imnofox took the opportunity to speak to the large crowd from the top of the steps

“Kia ora koutou. Well, here we are, after a term too many of disastrous Liberal-National government, which may be the most turbulent and chaotic term of parliament since the early 90s, election day is fast approaching. I know voters aren’t just angry at the clear instability of a Liberal-led coalition, but are also angry at the many disastrous policies that government pursued, often with no success. I watched as this government tore up our social services, tore up our environmental protection programmes, and tore up our employment rights, just from across the aisle in this building behind us. But thousands of kiwis saw these reforms from a different seat, a more personal perspective. Kiwis saw it as the weekly financial backing that they and their kids rely on to put food on the table or keep their home warm was cut. Kiwis saw it as their wages dropped because it was ‘good for business’, despite what would be good for their families. Kiwis saw it as their children came home from school coughing and sick. Kiwis saw it as they spent more and more money on their tertiary education, when all they’re trying to do is get a leg up in a tough labour market. Kiwis watched as this government tried to sell off our already depleted public housing stock to private buyers. They watched as this government tried to cut benefits- entitlements- further than they already had.”

“This was a government that, had they actually all turned up to work, would have slashed absolutely every service they could find. That is the Liberal agenda. Too bad if you have a partner in long term hospital care- the government wanted to cut your support to go see them. Too bad if you're an orphan or you're the parent of an orphan- the government meant to slash your support too. Rely on the benefit? Liberals and National thought it wise to slash benefits till they weren't enough to live on. It’s transparently clear that the Liberal Party has no regard for the working people of New Zealand. We watched as they launched their tax plan in a revolving restaurant in a room of their financial backers at the top of New Zealand’s tallest tower. As much as they like to pretend they’re out there helping our most vulnerable, we only need to look at their actions and agenda to prove that they are not. If you are not in the 1%, then you have every right to be worried about what a second term of Liberal misgovernance entails.”

“This government slashed welfare till entitlements simply weren’t enough to live on. In the last term, my government increased benefits by 20% so that they were at a liveable level. We introduced new working for families credits. These were programmes that lifted thousands out of poverty and into steady employment, ensuring the best for themselves and their families. There is something fundamentally wrong about the how we treat the welfare system and the way we treat the beneficiaries and families who rely on it in this country, and the Liberal government has only furthered that horror. It drives people to violence against others and themselves. It keeps children in filthy conditions, campground cabins even, until they get sick. It tortures and harasses women grieving for their lost babies. It makes ordinary people, good people, like the many who have come and visited my electorate office, suffer because they are fighting their fight to survive. We need system and a government that treats people with dignity and compassion, not as economic burdens that need to be offloaded. Beneficiaries are people, they are us. They deserve exactly the same respect, dignity, and basic that every single one of deserves. That means ensuring everyone has enough to live a fulfilling life, free from poverty and homelessness.”

“But you don’t just have to be a beneficiary or in abject poverty to be angry. We’re seeing farmers up and down the country abandon the Liberal and National Parties. For all their rhetoric and slogans- farmers are no doubt some of the smartest people, and they can see right through it all. Our Green government invested millions upon millions into investment in sustainable farming. $137 million towards helping farmers clean up their waterways. $484 million more available for afforestation grants. $20 million towards the sustainable farming fund. $7 million towards new transformational farming investment to research drylands, climate change adaptation, cleaner farming, and the like. This government runs around claiming to be the hero of farmers, whilst cutting over $620 million of this funding to support farmers in the transition to climate change. We recognise that the agricultural industry will be the industry hit hardest by climate change, and we know that we need to support farmers in mitigation and adaptation. What has this government? Slashed all investment in the agricultural transition to a zero emissions economy. What is worse- whilst wiping the $137 million clean farming package off of the register, they’re still keeping the $137 million charge on nitrate pollution that paid for that package. They’re keeping the same tax on farmers whilst ensuring they receive zero of the benefit. That’s not supporting farmers, that’s exploiting farmers so you can buy some new aircraft for the military!”

“This government has been a disaster for our native birds. About 25 million native birds are killed by introduced predators every year, and we have on of the highest plant and animal extinction rates in the world. Stoats alone are responsible for 60% of kiwi chick deaths. Without predator control, 90% of kiwi chicks born in the wild die within their first year. This is why we need to be supporting conservation efforts up and down the country. That should be common sense to everyone, but not to this disastrous Liberal-National government. No, they slashed the Department of Conservation’s budget by 50%, forcing the Department of Conservation to halve the number of frontline rangers out there doing great conservation work. This government slashed the Department of Conservation’s predator control budget by 50% as well, drastically reducing the resources at DoC’s disposal to control and manage the pests that threaten our native birds, including those kiwi chicks I mentioned. We can not let our native species go the way of the dodo due to introduced predators. That is unacceptable. The last National government set us to a goal of a predator free 2050, and we need to be taking action to meet that lofty goal, not leaving DoC to forage for resources in the conservation land they need to be out in protecting.”

“That is yet another example of the Liberal-National government failing to think any further forward than the next financial year. For the good of the people and the planet, it is of top importance that we don’t just plan forward the next year, or the next 10 years, or the next 50 years, but the next 300 years to ensure that this country is a country where all can thrive, whether person, plant, or pukeko. We can see that lack of foresight and thinking when it comes to their attempt to privatise the public housing stock. There are 6,000 families in New Zealand who need state housing support but were turned away because there simply wasn’t enough. That’s 6,000 houses that this country needs, and that’s 6,000 houses the government wanted to sell off to the wealthy. Sure, their legislation gave tenants the right of first refusal. But what good is that when the price is just 10% less than market rate. If you’re in a state house, you can’t afford rent, let alone a whole house at market rate with just a tenth off. There’s only one class of people that is in any way affordable for, and that’s property speculators with deep pockets. I’d like to think the National Party, along with the Liberals, had every good intention when they drafted this bill, late at night, surviving only on coffee in their dimly lit offices. Maybe if they’d opened those long light-blocking curtains they’d have actually seen the realities of New Zealand! Because the reality of New Zealand is not one where the only thing stopping a state house tenant from moving out is that last 10%. It’s not one where our rivers are thriving like the tourism advertisements might show. It’s not one where our native birds are flourishing and Department of Conservation rangers are just tour guides. It’s not one where every family has enough food on the table. Policies like the farce that was their attempt to privatise our state housing stock show the disconnect between the people of Aotearoa and the neoliberal technocrats currently set up on the 9th floor. I’m glad that the Green Party fought to stop that bill, and with a lucky opportunity we could. But we shouldn’t have to rely on the opposition to shut down bad legislation, disconnected from the realities that New Zealanders live- instead, we need a government that is connected with Aotearoa’s communities at the grassroots.”

“We know that democracy is more than just a decision making process. Consultation, public scrutiny, and open governance are necessary for positive outcomes from a government people can have trust in. We watched as the National Minister for Education and Te Pōti Māori candidate rushed through the biggest reform to primary education standards in the last decade without bothering to consult with any stakeholders- parents, students, teachers, and principals. Sure, they’ve created a brand new ‘education advisory commission’, because at least when it comes to education they recognise how out of touch they are. But what good is an advisory commission if not once do you give that commission a chance to review and scrutinise that 30 page document that sets the curriculum for probably the next decade? The future of our tamariki is too important to be left unscrutinised by the parents whose children will be taught to them, by the teachers who have to teach these new standards, and by the principals who know what’s best for our children’s education. After a term of having to rely on United Future to pass any important legislation, it’s no surprise they thought it best to rush everything through before United Future changed their mind. But what they forgot is that we live in a liberal democracy, not a dictatorship. Time and time again, this government has proved that they have forgotten what that means to New Zealanders.”

“The Liberals and the Nationals think that introducing discomfort and discontent into our lives is a good thing. They’re sure that individual competition makes us better off. But they never look at the social costs. Never. They create a binary choice between living a life of poverty and working for a happy life. But again, there’s the reality. And the reality is that too many kiwis are working their asses off at the cost of their social wellbeing and even their physical wellbeing yet treading water, moving absolutely nowhere on the economic ladder. The desecration of our communities and the isolation of individuals is the fundamental outcome of the neoliberal reforms this government is pursuing. The economy that puts individuals ahead of the collective wellbeing is what this government's political agenda has consistently benefited: the 'got-mine' 'me-first' culture that was introduced in the 1980s and has been marched long past it's use-by date, 'Weekend at Bernie's' style, for every year since.”

“I am not just a critic. I do not just yell at the government because I look to yell. I yell at this damaging government because I know that there is a better. I yell at this government, because I believe in a different Aotearoa, and I know that that Aotearoa is possible. A vote for the Greens is a vote for that Aotearoa. An Aotearoa where the government that is receptive and responsive to the needs of people. An Aotearoa where the wellbeing and the mauri of our rivers, trees, mountains, birds, and fish are put ahead of dirty profits for overseas multinationals. An Aotearoa where every child has a warm, dry home. An Aotearoa where every child has enough to eat, allowing them a constructive day at school. An Aotearoa where our most vulnerable people get the support they need to live a healthy happy life. An Aotearoa where te Tiriti o Waitangi is honoured, not disregarded. Where land is for conservation, not extraction. Where our rivers are clean and healthy, and the fish that live in them thriving. Where our birds aren’t afraid of extinction by rats and stoats. Where our workers get a fair deal. Where our planet and our people are loved. That is the Aotearoa a Green government gets you, and, in my humble opinion, that- is an Aotearoa worth fighting for. Vote Green! Ka kite!”

the crowd, the size of which rivalls the Foreshore and Seabed hikoi, erupts in crazed applause, as if they’d seen the second coming of christ right before their eyes. As the mass of people cheered and hollered and clapped, Tova O’Brien struggled even to be heard by her cameraman, despite yelling as loud as she could at the microphone. Some call it a health and safety issue, others call it a political revolution…