Bryce Edwards
democracyproject.nz
Dr Bryce Edwards is Political Analyst in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the director of the Democracy Project.
The lack of any policy announcements at the weekend was a disappointment to many observers. Instead, Collins announced in her speech that a new process of public engagement would be put into place in order to develop policy for the next election. This is essentially an extension of National’s new “Demand the Debate” campaign, with a focus on the following areas: Growing the technology sector, lifting incomes, building houses, getting Kiwis home from overseas safely, education, health, and crime.
This was best covered by Tim Murphy, who explains:
“The conference initiative would see each of the seven areas taken out for debate with four groups – first experts, then key sectors, then National Party members and finally the public”
– see: Collins and the seven deadly debates. And Murphy says the process has merit:
“National can at least argue that it is doing the policy leg-work now, in advance of a possible return to government rather than mimicking Labour’s first-term approach of setting up numerous working groups and task forces while in power.”
However, Murphy also draws attention to what is “missing” from the list of important topics for National:
“climate change, the border, the environment, rural issues, the Treaty of Waitangi and race relations do not appear to be among them.”
Furthermore, “No explicit debates were foreshadowed on tax, or welfare, which usually feature high on a National manifesto. The promised debate on lifting incomes would usually address such issues, but Collins did not point to them as focal points.”
For another interesting take on this issue, see Toby Manhire’s Judith Collins doubles down on ‘demand the debate’ – but with a different emphasis. He raises the question of whether this process is merely a rebranding of Simon Bridges’ similar “Have Your Say” campaign in 2018 which resulted in ten discussion documents. And he warns that although such policy engagement and discussion might be useful, “people are soon going to want some detail on what the alternative looks like. To start demanding the policy.”
Manhire also reports on Collins’ keynote conference speech, saying it “was confident, assured” and, in terms of content, “there was a marked shift away from the dog whistles and culture war weirdness of recent months, a return to emphasis on modern National Party values.” He also praises the two panel discussions led by MPs on Covid and mental health (“brimming with warmth, passion and empathy”).
In terms of National’s intended policy development involving outside experts and public engagement, Chris Trotter is highly critical. He says these functions are the job of party members, and such policy debates should have been occurring in the weekend:
“It is hard to know where to begin with this glutinous heap of political blancmange. Perhaps by re-emphasising that a political party seeks power to implement the policies advanced by its members, and the socio-economic forces those members represent. A viable political organisation contains within its ranks all the expertise it needs to knock the rough edges of the membership’s policy ideas. Moreover, why would any political party worthy of the name want to “engage” with the public? That is what it does every time an election is held!”
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