Anticipation builds as New Zealand prepares for an unprecedented COVID-belated election, and it is now up to the people to discern truth from falsehood.

If Labour’s recent term in power was any indication, with the COVID-19 pandemic coming as the party’s ironic saviour in offering redemption to an otherwise uneventful stint in government, they showed themselves to be the nation’s exasperatingly precocious little sister – full of big ideas and ambition but with little follow-through or ostensible leadership qualities.

Regarding Shane Jones’ ambition to plant one billion native seedlings with the intention of bringing the New Zealand backdrop back to nature, my own father plants more trees in a year than the Labour party has done; regarding Megan Woods’ ambition to implement Jacinda’s Kiwibuild scheme and spend $400 million building ‘affordable’ houses across the North for Kiwi first-home-buyers, I have witnessed more first-home-buyers buying their first homes on my own street in Canterbury than I have seen under Labour’s Kiwibuild.

Then came the Coronavirus.

Following some political tribulations, Judith Crusher Collins has embraced the role of leader to the National party, as always focused on again boosting New Zealand’s economy, dedicated to putting cash back in the hand of the Kiwi battler thus consequently rejuvenating the economy with substantial temporary tax cuts; given the current state of the world it could be argued that Crusher’s assertive demeanour and perpetually high eyebrows are just what the nation needs at the moment.

Conversely, Green party leader, James Shaw, for the sake of the environment, will do all he can do to ensure New Zealand goes forward with the least progress possible, then there was Winnie; who knows what NZ First wants to achieve and is there any chance it will be good for a nation looking to rebuild its momentum?

Officially, New Zealand is in a recession; just like it was in 2008 when National saviour John Key took the helm to steer New Zealand so seamlessly through the Global Financial Crisis that many regular folk were not even aware there was a problem with global finances.

Whether a voter elects for the National Right Wing, the Labour Left Wing, the outer Green Wing or NZ’s First unstable wing, in this current political climate, it is important that people do the right thing.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Wry Twang

Photography by Fowther Future