Chlöe Swarbrick gave some context today behind a recent comment she made about the toxicity of New Zealand's political landscape.
The Green MP made the statement, “Politics is f*****," in a new documentary titled OK CHLÖE that was released online today. It explores her journey in politics so far, looking ahead to the future and the unsustainable nature of living a life in Parliament.
Appearing on Breakfast’s political panel today alongside ACT leader David Seymour, Ms Swarbrick was asked by host John Campbell as to why she had made the statement - which had recently appeared in a news headline.
“What is it that you would like our politicians, including yourself, to do better?” Campbell asked.
Ms Swarbrick responded that there is a lot of good work being done between politicians across party lines, but much of it happens behind the scenes.
She said she is worried that the performance of politics and "aggressive attacks" that are more commonly seen in the media would stop Kiwis from engaging in the political system.
“David and I have worked pretty closely on a number of different issues, actually, across the ideological divide in our politics, worked through those differences and found common points of principled agreement.
“And that is the best of our politics. The best of our politics is when you are able to put aside those ad hominem or aggressive attacks and genuinely to do that work. A lot of that ends up happening behind the scenes."
But, she says, the performance and the theatre in New Zealand's parliamentary chamber is what is more commonly seen.
"There’s a side that politicians don in the media, in particular, in an attempt to get that cut through that really precious oxygen - particularly in election time - [that] does end up lending itself to quite a voracious way that politics is characterised.
"I worry that it turns off good people from engaging in our political system."
Ms Swarbrick will contest the Auckland Central seat in this year's general election on October 17.
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