Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Gisborne Herald / Opinion

Calamity and failure surround Labour Govt’s aspiration for mediocrity

Gisborne Herald
2 May, 2023 01:34 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

The legacy of this Labour Govt, regardless of when they finally shuffle off, will without doubt be one of abject failure.

Driven by an ironically named “progressive agenda”, almost everything they have touched has resulted in calamity, and almost everyone they’ve effected has been effected adversely.

At the heart is their aspiration for mediocrity. Whether it’s continuing to penalise the most carbon-efficient farming system in the world, or subjecting the wealthiest to an inquisition the rest of the population would violently revolt over, or the continued pandering to minority groups at the expense of the majority, there simply is no incentive to succeed.

Their wont to centralise publicly funded institutions in a return to the 1950s has seen these organisations implode almost overnight. The polytech sector is on its knees, the health sector is basically writing its own obituary. Water assets are lined up next, which on paper appear equally to be another basket case.

They have trod on our human rights, restricted our freedoms, increased inequality, deepened poverty, mandated people from careers, and along with fellow travellers the media, have restricted freedom of expression and rapidly increased indoctrination.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recently the IMF compared our economy to that of Greece and Cyprus. Why? Because our trade deficit is at record levels and growing rapidly under this Government. We are a trading nation, reliant on exports for financial survival, yet like this Govt we are continuing to “borrow” — this time on our trade account.

The education system is failing our children like never before. Chipkins, as Opposition Education spokesman for nine years and then Education Minister for five years, is entirely to blame. In 2017, he ideologically removed what he didn’t like, but replaced it with nothing. More recently, he has given the curriculum an ideological make-over. Education standards continue to drop.

If this Govt were to do something truly useful, they’d attend to the dramatically dropping vaccination rates of young Maori children. In 2017, 90 percent were vaccinated; in six short years this has dropped to 67 percent.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Stay tuned.

IAIN Boyle

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne Herald

'Lift him up': Gisborne students unite for Pink Shirt Day

19 May 04:16 AM
Premium
Gisborne Herald

National opposes Napier's boundary change in East Coast submission

19 May 04:00 AM
Gisborne Herald

Out with the old... in with the new Hikuwai Bridge

19 May 02:00 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'Our love story': Meghan shares previously unseen photos on anniversary
Royals

'Our love story': Meghan shares previously unseen photos on anniversary

19 May 09:30 PM
Opinion: Duck debate needs more balance and better context
Opinion

Opinion: Duck debate needs more balance and better context

19 May 09:30 PM
NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
New Zealand

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

19 May 09:11 PM
Speed bumps removed after feedback from residents
Whanganui Chronicle

Speed bumps removed after feedback from residents

19 May 08:43 PM
MP defends against backlash from conservationist over Govt’s changes to Wildlife Act
Northern Advocate

MP defends against backlash from conservationist over Govt’s changes to Wildlife Act

19 May 08:05 PM

Latest from Gisborne Herald

'Lift him up': Gisborne students unite for Pink Shirt Day

'Lift him up': Gisborne students unite for Pink Shirt Day

19 May 04:16 AM

Gisborne Boys’ High students wore pink for Pink Shirt Day to fight bullying.

Premium
National opposes Napier's boundary change in East Coast submission

National opposes Napier's boundary change in East Coast submission

19 May 04:00 AM
Out with the old... in with the new Hikuwai Bridge

Out with the old... in with the new Hikuwai Bridge

19 May 02:00 AM
Budget 2025 will expand access to after-hours healthcare in Wairoa

Budget 2025 will expand access to after-hours healthcare in Wairoa

18 May 02:38 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search