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Hunting for votes: From teeth to tunnels, parties pitch plans
With just over two months until the election, campaign season is heating up, as political leaders unveiled plans this weekend for everything from a new Auckland harbour crossing to massive government job cuts to free dental care for all.
The government started off Sunday by announcing an ambitious $45 billion plan for three new tunnels across Waitematā Harbour, a proposal which may take decades to bear fruit.
Two road tunnels would be three lanes each, one-way, and go from the CBD to Akoranga – about five or six kilometres, twice as long as the Waterview Tunnel.
The light rail tunnel would stretch 21km, going from Wynyard Quarter all the way north to Albany, winding through Takapuna and Belmont, stopping in six places.
“This is a bold plan for Auckland’s future that delivers a modern transport network that will connect all parts of the city,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at the announcement.
Hipkins said the recent closures of the existing bridge due to weather-related issues “illustrate the city’s vulnerability to interruptions”.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins with members of the Sikh Community in Auckland Sunday. Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia
The National Party has gone on the record supporting a new harbour crossing but transportation spokesman Simeon Brown called the government’s plan a “desperate announcement” and said the party has failed to deliver on light rail.
Speaking in Kumeū on Sunday, National leader Christopher Luxon told the New Zealand Herald Labour has fallen short on big projects.
“This government has had six years [and] it hasn’t been able to finish a single roading or infrastructure project, so it’s all too little, too late.”
The plan was panned by the Green Party, whose co-leader James Shaw called it “a bit bonkers”.
The Greens meanwhile had their own plan to get potential voters smiling, by promising to fix the “broken and cruel” dental health system by making it free for all.
“The time is now to make dental care free for everyone and to pay for it with a fair tax system,” Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said on Sunday.
The Greens said the party would establish a New Zealand Dental Service and pay for the estimated more than $1 billion annual cost the first few years by “fair and simple changes to the tax system that will unlock the resources we need”, Davidson said.
“Every dollar will come from those most able to contribute.”
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
On the opposite end of the political spectrum the ACT Party is promising to wield the axe if they get into government, with leader David Seymour saying it would aim to halve the more than 6000 staff at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
It would also immediately shut down work on several government projects if elected to government, saying this could save more than $1 billion.
The projects include Three Waters, fees-free tertiary study, growth and development grants, the provincial growth fund, Auckland Light Rail, Callaghan Innovation, Workforce Development Councils and many others.
He may not be in Parliament now, but New Zealand First leader Winston Peters was still hoping for yet another comeback in this year’s election.
Speaking in Christchurch on Sunday, Peters said NZ First would prepare a bid to hold the 2026 Commonwealth Games there.
Victoria cancelled plans to hold the games in Australia recently, citing the immense costs.
“It is an opportunity to showcase Christchurch and the South Island to the Commonwealth and the rest of the world,” NZ First said in a statement.
In prepared remarks released beforehand, Peters told the audience in Christchurch “We are 58 days out from early voting on 2nd October and every day will be critical now”.
RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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