Paula Bennett: Reality of broken health system, increased crime speaks louder than Chris Hipkins’ words

While Labour has been centralising health services and spending millions and millions of dollars on rearranging the deck chairs out back, the frontline is breaking, says Paula Bennett. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

I believe the term gaslighting has been around for a while but I have only been aware of it in the last couple of years. Look out in election year — we already have Labour gaslighting us.

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim’s mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.

Last week we had Hipkins telling us that the health system is in better shape now than it was three years ago. As I see it, that is an absolute distortion of reality. While Labour has been centralising health services and spending millions and millions of dollars on rearranging the deck chairs out back, the frontline is breaking and it is the public who need essential healthcare who are the victims.

No matter how many times Labour tries to gaslight us by manipulating the truth, we know the reality of a broken health system and no real plan for fixing it.

Labour is even paying for advertisements that gaslight you. The latest is an ad on Instagram and Facebook that says “Ram raids are down 65 per cent” and an accompanying message said the Labour Party’s “crackdown on retail crime” had led to a “big decline in ram raids across the country”.

This in the same week that Michael Hill closed one of its flagship retail shops because of repeated ram raids. Where a man pleads for the safety of his wife as knife-wielding youths steal cigarettes from his petrol station.

One of my West Auckland dairies has installed a cage around the counter to protect themselves.

I was in one of my locals the other week and was waiting to be served when the owner indicated I should step up to the counter. “Please serve the gentleman standing to my side as he was here first,” I said. “Oh no,” said the store owner, “he is here to protect me.”

Data released to RNZ under the Official Information Act showed that in the 2022 calendar year, police recorded 516 ram raids and that in two years there has been a 465 per cent increase in ram raids.

Labour’s ad saying that ram raids are down 65 per cent is absolute gaslighting. Looking back at the definition, they are trying to distort reality and manipulate us into believing we are the ones with the problem. In my opinion, Hipkins did exactly that earlier this year when the weather events hit Hawke’s Bay and locals were concerned about an increase in crime and looters. Instead of acknowledging their concerns and having police show that they are in control, in my opinion, Hipkins did a form of gaslighting by telling everyone it was “unsubstantiated rumours”.

We heard it from Hipkins a couple of years ago when he assured us as then minister in charge of Covid that we were at the front of the queue for vaccines. We weren’t. He had to correct his answer in the House this year when he told us that the Government is not collecting more taxes. They are.

Early mistakes are forgivable. He should have learned from the Hawke’s Bay crime gaslighting but instead in the last week, we see Labour’s latest attempts to gaslight us. Let’s make sure we aren’t victims and stand up for the truth.

Paula Bennett is a former Deputy Prime Minister and National Party MP who is Bayleys Real Estate national director-customer engagement.