Most New Zealanders know democratic elections are not a rugby match.
Yet the 2023 election featured more dishonesty and abuse than you’d see in a really rough game. Rivers of campaign money made it a muddy playing field as well. Special interest money looking to buy influence with the new government. More elections like that will destroy our Democracy. CoOperative NZ wants to end that style of politics.

We are committed to treating everyone with courtesy, listening with respect. Working collaboratively–especially in Parliament. New Zealand’s problems are crying out for solutions. The best recipe for finding those solutions is collaboration.

There are conscientious MPs in every party. Many with well-informed ideas. Together they could super-brain their way to solving our difficult problems. Big egos and power-trippers solve nothing.

Local councils also deal with important issues. Councilors are close to the problems. Watchful ratepayers, also close to the problems, can ensure egos and power don’t undermine good judgement. Collaborating will solve local problems and save more money. Ratepayers will love it!

Collaboration means cross-party support for solutions. Which in turn makes long-term planning possible. Serious long-term planning is the only way we will pull out of our infrastructure decline.

With Reserve Bank lending major projects are possible. Cross-party support makes them
durable. It’s our best path to a secure future.

A Very Big Goal

The centre of our Democracy is Parliament. It represents all the people who voted. We have slipped into a US style, false democracy. The winning party may not have a true majority but they form the government and claim all the power.

That works for them IF all their members are forced to follow the party line. You’ve heard of the whips? They make sure backbench MPs vote as they are told and keep their mouths shut. Voters who sent those MPs to Wellington probably expected they’d elected a representative. Too bad.

That is not Democracy and it isn’t Parliamentary. It’s not even good sense. Instead of dealing with our problems in a constructive way we have grandstanding, short term planning, and destruction of the previous government’s investments for the sake of showing muscle.

It should go like this. An idea is proposed in the house. It goes to a Select Committee which hears the views of people around the country, and from experts on the subject. The matter is discussed and debated in Parliament. Serious thinking goes into solving the problem, then more discussion. Advice comes from the staff. Support comes from MPs of several parties. A decision is finally made. It is the decision of Parliament.

That decision may be for a rail network which will take 40 years to complete. But the project can be started with confidence because the next in-take of MPs (and several more after that) will not kick it to the sideline. It’s been decided by Parliament not the previous government.

In that environment it’s possible for MPs to learn more and think more. Possible to change their minds. Generally if people listen to one another and keep thinking, they will come to a sound decision. Or make no decision when they think that’s best.

For MPs to collaborate they need three things: freedom to represent the voters who sent them; transparency in their motives and dealings; and an ego-free willingness to work together. Our custom of bashing your opponent, rugby-style, while pretending it’s democracy, has seriously weakened our economy and our communities.

Collaboration is a very grown-up way of solving problems but we think New Zealand is ready for it. We can do big things for our little country if we work together. Or we can keep doing what we’ve been doing and fall more and more under the boots of overseas power.