Opinion: It will likely take time for many of the Government’s 100-day plans to make any impact, but there are some things New Zealanders can begin enjoying soon, writes Liam Hehir.
The new governing triumvirate of Christopher Luxon, David Seymour and Winston Peters have outlined a 100-day plan, including 49 actions.
It’s a bit weird that they settled on 49. Surely they could have tacked an additional easy one on for a nice, round 50 items?
Whatever the thinking, the list includes plenty of things that will have a delayed impact, if any at all. The “action” of “start work to improve the quality of regulation” is not something that people are going to notice in their day to day lives in the shorter term.
Nevertheless, there are some things that we can look forward to feeling the impact of sooner rather than later.
Lower fuel prices
The repeal of the Auckland Fuel Tax will come as a relief to motorists in the Super City.
The Government will also be scrapping planned fuel tax hikes for the rest of the country, too. That can’t come soon enough for the vast majority of Kiwis who still rely on driving to get around.
There will always be some concern about the risk of fuel retailers pocketing the difference. However, Treasury analysis of the last reductions in fuel excise shows that it did flow through to the price at the pump.
Cold medicine that actually works
Pseudoephedrine was targeted and eventually prohibited as an over-the-counter medicine due to its use as a precursor in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The intention behind the ban was to curb the availability and use of meth in the country. However, it has not escaped notice that the prevalence of methamphetamine has not really been reduced, with law-abiding cold sufferers paying the price.
With pseudoephedrine off the shelves, the replacement option, phenylephrine, has been left to fill the gap. Yet, research has shown that phenylephrine is considerably less effective. It may, in fact, not be effective at all.
But good news. The government is planning to bring back pseudoephedrine – the stuff that works - as an over-the-counter medicine.
A more structured environment in schools
Declining educational attainment in New Zealand has been reflected in recent OECD testing results, with the country recording its worst ever performance.
The Government has proposed a range of measures aimed at instilling greater discipline and structure in schools.
This comes as schools have adopted lenient policies regarding the use of cell phones, with some even allowing use during class time, which can be a major distraction from learning.
The Government's plan includes requiring primary and intermediate schools to dedicate an hour each day to teaching core skills in reading, writing, and maths.
In addition, it would enforce a policy for students to leave their cell phones in their bags during school hours.
These changes are designed with the hope of creating a more focused and structured learning environment for tamariki in Aotearoa.
Less brazen gang activity
Over the past few years, there's been a noticeable increase in the audacity of gangs in New Zealand.
This has been compounded by the previous government's mixed messaging, which at times gave legitimacy to gang-related organisations, even providing taxpayer funding for their programmes.
However, the 100-day plan signals a shift in this approach.
The plan includes provisions for the police to take a harder stance on gangs, with the new Police Minister articulating clear expectations to the Police Commissioner, who has welcomed these directives.
Gang communities made their apprehension about all this clear in advance, with the Waikato Mongrel Mob Kingdom president speaking out pre-election about the “devastating” impact that the new agenda will have on gang organisations.
The new government could not have asked for a stronger endorsement than that.
More business confidence around hiring
Things like the reintroduction of 90-day trial periods for all businesses also promises immediate effects.
The evidence is that the effects won’t be large. The impacts they do have, however, will be to provide more flexibility for employers, reducing costs and risks associated with hiring.
The trials are very useful to employers who may otherwise be hesitant to take on new staff at a time when businesses are really struggling.
When the trials were previously in force, there was no widespread evidence of abuse or exploitation. They instead contributed to a more flexible and risk-tolerant hiring environment.
Realistic expectations and hope for the future
Whether one is a supporter of the new government or not, it's vital to remember not to anticipate drastic change in New Zealand. Our political system, by virtue of MMP, is not designed to deliver such rapid and sweeping transformations.
But it doesn't mean that improvements are not possible or that we can't strive for better.
Even within the confines of our system, there is always work that can be done to advance the country.
Remember, as the old adage goes, a new broom sweeps clean. Let's hope that this new leadership can effectively clean up the issues we face and bring about a positive change, however incremental it may be.
Jack Tame: Are smokes and pseudoephedrine really ram-raid issues?
The Government is concerned about ram-raids with a reduced number of tobacco outlets, but is bringing back pseudoephedrine which once pushed up ram-raids around NZ. Jack Tame looks at the justifications behind these two policies.
December 8, 2023
Good things take time, but the 100-day plan does at least contain some things the new government can claim as early wins, provided they pull them off.
Liam Hehir is a lawyer and political commentator. He is a National Party member.
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