We can do this, NZ We can do this, NZ

• Published date: 06 November 2022
• Publication title: Herald on Sunday

If we stick to some broad themes it isn’t such a tough question

We want it to be more prosperous. We want it to be fairer. We want less poverty and more chance for everyone to thrive.

We want it to be greener. We know we need to cut carbon emissions, but clean rivers and clear air would be nice too.

We want a more diverse economy, with less reliance on a handful of industry sectors and international markets.

We want it to be high-tech and create the kind of vibrant, meaningful work that our children and grandchildren will want to stay in the country for.

We want world-class infrastructure — more efficient transport options, safer roads and enough housing for everyone.

And we want to be more productive, with our kids working smarter not harder.

We want future generations to enjoy the beach and the bush and the mountains. We want them to enjoy thriving cultural scenes with great food, music and entertainment. We want to pass on the Kiwi lifestyle that has defined our national character and made us proud and thankful to live here.

None of that is too controversial, is it? It’s not hard to find plenty of consensus around those sorts of goals.

I think the leaders of all the major political parties would sign up for those ideas.

So why does making progress towards those goals feel so hard?

Obviously, things can get tricky when we dig into the detail.

Particularly when we start to look at how we share the costs and benefits of investing in the future.

But that’s ultimately just transactional. Sadly, I think there’s a bigger issue holding us back. I think it’s our politics.

This week, the Herald has started a new series aimed at identifying the challenges New Zealand faces in the coming decades. And, more importantly, solving them.

One of the aims of the series is to depoliticise these issues. Not in an absolute sense. Clearly, there is a political dimension to all choices we make.

We’re up for that debate. But we’re trying to minimise the party politics and look past the daily and weekly scraps about the short-term economic cycle.

One of the ever-present roadblocks to progress is the binary divide in our political, economic and (ultimately) philosophical ideas about human behaviour and social organisation.

It’s a traditional shorthand to say “left” and “right” when we talk about politics. But what does that mean when it comes to building and improving an economy?

At its heart is a difference of opinion about the merits of centralised control and regulation...