It’s been a year since the 2023 election that eventually gave the country a National-led government. 1News breaks down what the coalition has delivered in that time.
Exactly 12 months ago, New Zealand’s political red tide went out and National’s Christopher Luxon celebrated his imminent new role as the country’s 42nd prime minister – even if he didn’t yet know who he would be sharing power with.
The official election results some three weeks later meant NZ First would crash National and ACT’s party, ensuring an end to a few of their election pledges from the start – namely, a proposed foreign home buyer tax and raising the superannuation age from 65 to 67.
But with the help of former CEO Luxon’s quarterly plans for running the country, the coalition Government has put many of its election promises into motion.
Here is what’s been ticked off the list.
December 2023: Out with the old…
New Zealand finally has a government, 45 days after the election. (Source: 1News)
The three-week wait for official election results and some subsequent lengthy coalition negotiations meant the new Government wasn’t sworn in until the end of November – but the brand new batch of ministers didn’t waste much time, passing a slew of laws under urgency before Christmas.
It would be a month of repeals as the Government sought to undo some of what the previous Labour administration had passed before them.
This included axing the Clean Car Discount Labour had brought in to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and repealing Fair Pay Agreements before any such agreements could take effect. The coalition Government also reinstated 90-day trials for all employers.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown was busy last December too, instructing NZTA Waka Kotahi to halt work on many cycling and walking projects, while also withdrawing government support for the Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme alongside Infrastructure and Housing Minister Chris Bishop.
The new Government finished 2023 with Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ mini-Budget just days before Christmas. Its initiatives included reverting the brightline test for property ownership to two years and ending half-price public transport fares for people aged under 25.
January 2024 – New year, new Govt
Not much usually happens at Parliament in January, but with Luxon’s First 100 Days plan breathing down ministers’ necks, there was not much of a summer break for politicians this year.
Simeon Brown continued to cut a swathe through Labour policies, officially cancelling the Auckland Light Rail project mid-January. The following day he revealed owners of electric vehicles would start paying road user charges from April 1.
Brown then popped his Local Government Minister hat on to officially scrap the Electoral Legislation Bill which would have allowed 16-year-olds to vote in local body elections.
February 2024: On a ‘fast-track’
February began with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden revealing the adult minimum wage would increase by 2% to $23.15 an hour from April 1. A Cabinet paper showed van Velden had originally proposed a 1.3% increase.
The country also got its first taste of the Government’s proposed “fast-track consenting one-stop shop”, also known as the Fast-track Approvals Bill.
The legislation has been a source of controversy ever since. It’s already had a few overhauls, most notably in removing the original plan for ministers being able to have the final say on projects, even if an expert panel hadn’t recommended them.
The Government wants to fast track big projects. (Source: 1News)
Elsewhere, the Government announced:
The Government then finished the month by beginning dismantling the Māori Health Authority.
March – A return of policies past
Penny Simmonds’ comments around new rules for funding provided by the Ministry of Disabled People (Whaikaha) kicked off a firestorm in March.
Simmonds claimed some carers were using public money “for massages, overseas travel, pedicures [and] haircuts” and caused general confusion about what would be funded going forward. Labour leader Chris Hipkins called for Simmonds to be sacked – he would get his wish the following month.
Meanwhile, Simeon Brown revealed his overarching transport plans, including a massive pothole prevention fund, increases in the cost of vehicle ‘rego’ fees, and plans to eventually shift all drivers to road user charges.
The coalition announced some spending plans in the education space. It committed money to continuing the free period products in schools scheme, and also announced its FamilyBoost programme, where families with children in early childhood education can claim up to $75 a week in ECE fees.
Finally, the Government also announced the return of a couple of policies – namely, a reintroduction of boot camps for young offenders and phasing back in the interest deductibility rules for landlords that Labour had started to phase out.
April – More returns of policies past
Poor financial reporting was a problem last time around but Seymour is now rejecting financial advice. (Source: 1News)
The Government then revealed it was bringing back charter schools, an education model last seen in 2017 when the Labour-led Government scrapped it.
Other things the Government promised to reinstate this month were:
April also saw the Prime Minister demote two of his ministers. Melissa Lee lost her Media and Communications portfolio, while Penny Simmonds was sacked as Minister for Disability Issues.
Luxon said the demotions had been his decision.
“I have come to the view it is important to have senior Cabinet ministers considering these issues.”
May – Delivering a Budget
Nicola Willis scheduled her first Budget as Finance Minister for the end of May and proceeded to spend the whole month deflecting questions about whether National could deliver on its election promise of tax cuts.
The answer came on May 30, when Willis revealed details of those very tax cuts.
Budget 2024 also announced the first year of “fees free” for tertiary students would switch to a final year “fees free”, while the $5 prescription co-payment scrapped by Labour last year would make a return.
The Budget also included $24 million in funding over four years for Mike King’s I Am Hope foundation, which runs Gumboot Friday. (The Auditor-General would later express concerns over the procurement of this funding.)
May also saw moves made in the education space, with the Government revealing a move towards structured literacy in schools. Meanwhile, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced plans to overhaul the free school lunches scheme, including an assault on “quinoa, couscous, and hummus” lunches and other “woke” food, like sushi.
June – a busy winter
The beginning of winter was a busy mixed bag for the Government.
June saw the brand-new Ministry of Regulation launch its first review (into the early childhood education sector), while Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced her own review of New Zealand’s firearms laws.
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden revealed the independent Royal Commission into Covid-19 Lessons Learned would have a second phase, which prompted NZ First to invoke the coalition’s first “agree to disagree” provision.
Van Velden also announced paid parental leave rates would increase from July 1 in her role as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister.
Meanwhile, the Government rounded out the month by proposing to allow granny flats to be built without resource consent and beginning work to reinstate live exports by sea.
July – a major appointment
Critics are slamming Lester Levy for continuing with part-time roles, including lecturing at a university. (Source: 1News)
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti took the significant step of replacing the board of Health New Zealand with a Commissioner.
Reti said he was appointing Professor Lester Levy to lead Health New Zealand due to concerns around oversight, overspend and a “significant deterioration in financial outlook”.
The Government also received the report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. By October, the Government said it “broadly accepted” the findings but was still considering the dozens of recommendations made in the report.
August – Congestion charging and parking fines
Motorists were once again a focus for the Government in August.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown revealed plans to introduce laws allowing councils to charge drivers for using roads at certain times, otherwise known as “time of use schemes” or congestion charging.
Meanwhile, the Government cracked down on poor parking behaviour, saying it would dramatically increase the fine for illegally parking in a mobility space from $150 to $750. It also pushed up the charges for parking fines and towing fees overall.
Elsewhere, Judith Collins promised an end to the ban on gene technology, and Erica Stanford announced a new maths action plan for schools to begin next year.
The Local Water Done Well bill – the Government’s repeal of Labour’s beleaguered Three Waters legislation – passed in August, too, giving councils 12 months to develop water services delivery plans for their areas.
September – a controversial bill inches forward
Simmering away in the background of all of these actions was David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, as National kept insisting it would not support its coalition partner’s project beyond a first reading in Parliament.
Cabinet agreed next steps for the bill last month, including giving it a full six-month select committee process. The select committee is due to report back in May 2025, meaning the deeply divisive issue will loom over another Waitangi Day.
Seymour was busy with another of his projects in September – lifting New Zealand’s low school attendance rates.
He revealed details about Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) systems for schools, spelling out what actions need to be taken when students reach certain numbers of absent days. An example included potentially prosecuting parents if a student reached 15 days away from school during a term.
Seymour’s plan would also bring an end to teacher-only days during term time.
October – marking one year since the election
As the Government reaches the first anniversary of its election win, work continues.
Earlier this month, it revealed the list of 149 projects that will apply for fast-tracked consent and released a plan for more affordable electricity.
As for the rest of 2024, the Government’s latest quarterly action plan is focused on infrastructure. But other action points people can expect to see in the coming months include reversing the ban on oil and gas exploration, removing agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme completely, delivering new cancer treatments, and tightening controls on youth vaping, including a ban on disposable devices.
