In the latest in our State of the Nation series, a 53-year-old Wellington lawyer reveals her views on the two main political party leaders and who she plans to vote for in November.
Where were you born? Wellington, New Zealand.
How old are you? 53.
What's your profession? Lawyer.
Do you have children? Two – one still at home.
What’s your household’s annual income? Mine, before tax, would be about $240,000 and my husband’s $160,000. So about $400,000.
Do you have any plans to leave New Zealand? Yes. Very futuristic plans to move to Melbourne in ten years’ time, because the kids will probably end up there.
Has the fuel crisis affected you? Yeah, I’m probably spending another $50 a week on petrol, but it's not impacting me in a meaningful way.
Have you decided who you're going to vote for in this election? Yes, Labour.
Why is that? Because National have ballsed it completely.
Who did you vote for in 2023? National.
What were you expecting from National that, in your view, they haven’t delivered? I expected they would have to get the books in balance after what happened with the Labour’s quite poor handling of the Covid situation, and its overspending, but I did not expect them to tear Wellington apart. I did not expect them to leave all of the water pipe issues in Wellington to ratepayers to deal with through the City Council. I didn't expect them to destroy the city completely with mindless cycle lanes that are barely used and to destroy the public sector in the way that they have.
What’s your view of Christopher Luxon as Prime Minister? I think he is careless and not a forward thinker.
What’s your view of Chris Hipkins? I think he's decent. I think he's likely to be more careful and have a more global perspective on things.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing New Zealanders is in this election? The employment situation.
Do you feel secure in your industry? Yes.
Do you think that we should, as National has proposed, raise the superannuation eligibility age to 67? Part of me agrees, but the negative sentiment around older job seekers makes me unsure whether that's tenable.
So is ageism something that you see as a problem in our workplaces? Yes.
Do you plan to work yourself past the age of 65? Yes, because I enjoy the work.
And you're not concerned about the ageism that you've witnessed elsewhere? I'm self-employed. But I’ve seen ageism affect others in more corporate environments.
What do you think New Zealand’s biggest problems are? We're a very poor country, and we're going backwards. No one, globally, is interested in us. We haven't got anything to bring to a global stage, and we're not inventive.
What’s your view on the proposed building of AI data centres in places such as Auckland and Southland – an opportunity or something to be avoided? I think it’s an opportunity that should be grabbed and encouraged.
What do you think of the Green Party's wealth tax proposal? Ridiculous. I think that you don't want to demotivate people in that way.
They’ve also proposed taxing inherited wealth. Does that seem reasonable to you? If that was implemented, people would just find a way around it. It’s going to be pointless.
Do you think schools should provide lunch for students? In low decile schools, yes.
What do you think of the Government’s proposed move-on orders, enabling police to move rough sleepers and beggars out of public places? I actually don't know what I think about that. The difficulty is that the support for homeless people in the city centres is considerable compared to say a small town. So I’m not sure that it would make sense to move them to other places.
Do you think te reo Māori should be taught to all children in New Zealand schools? No. I feel as though the language should be preserved, but not foisted on those who want a different cultural experience. I think there should be respect for te reo, but I feel like there's been a lot of tokenism and people using this issue for political advantage in corporate life.
I like having a lot of different cultures coming to New Zealand. I feel as though there's room to allow other communities to flourish, having their own interests in their own cultural ways, and that just means it's richer and more interesting here, which is sorely needed.
So you think we need to allow more immigrants into New Zealand? Yes, I think we need more people.
What’s your own level of te reo Māori? It's low, it's insignificant.
What about the beneficial impact on young Māori of preserving and expanding the use of te reo? I think there has been a beneficial impact from all of the things Labour introduced with the language. I think it's done its job and it’s gone far enough.
How do you feel about this government's controversial reviewing and amending of the Treaty of Waitangi? I actually don't know that much about that. I feel like I haven’t really landed on my own view of the treaty so I can’t say.
Do you think that the government is doing enough to address climate change? Yes. I mean there has been a big upswing in hydro and wind farms etc, through the various energy companies. I don’t really know what the Government could do that would make anything better. I mean, maybe make electric cars a more accessible option for people on lower incomes.
You’re not concerned about the environmental impacts of large AI data centres? Not really, I mean, we’re desperadoes down here in New Zealand. We’ve just got to grab anything that can help us bring some money into this place. There's no money here.
In general, you seem to have given quite right-wing answers to these questions. Are you confident that your Labour vote is going to deliver you the kind of government you want? I guess I'm not, but I can't stand the meanness of this government. I’d rather deal with a government that had less cruelty about it, even if it meant overspending in some areas.
What would you like to change about the culture of Aotearoa? I think we are very small-minded in comparison to more developed countries, very rule bound, not expansive. I think we're quite gloomy, to be honest.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The views expressed are not those of TVNZ.
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