At the State Opening of Parliament this morning, the Governor-General outlined the new Government’s priorities, officially kicking off the next three years of the political cycle.
It comes after yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony, which saw MPs, new and old, sworn into their roles.
Speaking from the Legislative Council Chamber – as by custom the Governor-General doesn’t enter the debating chamber – Dame Cindy Kiro outlined the new Government’s policies and legislative proposals for the next three years.
The speech is prepared by a process determined by the Prime Minister, who sends a copy to the Governor-General.
In her speech, Dame Cindy said: “The new Government is committed to delivering; to getting things done. It wants people to see demonstrable, measurable results that make their lives easier and help them to get ahead.”
She said that by working with businesses, community groups, and iwi, the government will aim to “improve outcomes for all New Zealanders while leading a unified and confident country”.
She then went over some of the key policies proposed by National, ACT and New Zealand First.
The Governor-General talked about the Government’s big economic policies, which aim to “lift New Zealand’s productivity and growth”.
These include “restoring discipline to public spending” by reducing Core Crown expenditure on departments’ back-office operations, among other things.
She also talked about their plans to change the Reserve Bank’s mandate “so monetary policy is quickly returned to having a single focus on price stability”.
Plans to cut red tape with a new regulation department were also discussed — as well as plans to stop work on several infrastructure projects like the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme and Auckland light rail.
Dame Cindy talked about National’s plans to cut taxes and reduce the cost of living.
“It will meet the Government’s objectives of encouraging people into employment and people enjoying more take-home pay in return for their effort.”
Law and order was a major talking point during the election campaign — and the Governor-General discussed how the government plans to address what they see as an “explosion” in crime.
This includes banning gang patches in public, gang dispersal notices, and firearm prohibition orders.
National’s “three strikes” law got a mention, with Dame Cindy saying: “Too often, sentences do not reflect the gravity of offending, so the Sentencing Act will be amended to ensure appropriate consequences for offenders.”
She also talked about military boot camps for young offenders, youth crime demerit points and the Government’s plans to train no fewer than 500 new police officers with the next two years.
“To help teachers, the curriculum will be rewritten with clear requirements on what needs to be covered each school year in reading, writing, maths and science, and the curriculum will be focused on academic achievement, not ideology.”
The Government’s plans to fix a health system under “enormous pressure” got a big mention.
The Governor-General talked about how the coalition plans to support frontline workers.
She also said the Māori Health Authority would be disestablished as “there will be no co-governance of public services, and emphasis will shift to the frontline rather than the back office”. “Services will be delivered on need, using a range of effective providers, including iwi and community groups who have the best reach into the communities they serve.” “The coalition Government is committed to getting offshore and raising our profile on the world stage. – with inputs
from-1news