A guest post by Sean Rush:
Tamatha Paul and I served together as Wellington city councillors from 2019 to 2022. Despite our differing political affiliations, we found common ground on several issues and developed a warm relationship that continues to this day. Recently, Tamatha, now a Green MP, expressed concerns about the heightened police visibility on Wellington streets, suggesting it causes more anxiety than security for some community members.
As someone who worked as a criminal defence lawyer in Hawkes Bay back in the early 1990s, I can acknowledge Tamatha’s concerns. It won’t surprise anyone that my former clients felt a sense of unease rather than safety when encountering police officers. This sentiment is not new and has been depicted in popular culture, such as the 1994 film “Once Were Warriors,” which portrays the harsh realities of domestic violence and societal struggles faced by many Kiwi families close to the poverty line. Jake “The Muss” embodies the cycle of violence and despair that continues to affect thousands of families affected by poverty today. If your sole interaction with the police is watching your Dad or brother being taken away by the police then unease and suspicion is understandable.
“What we see every Monday” was a comment at the time from one of my colleagues. He was referring to the long list on Monday mornings of those brought before the courts all around New Zealand. Weekends in New Zealand are a very busy time for the police. When on the council I suggested we all visit the local district court on a Monday. No one took me up.
Tamatha attributes these desperate circumstances to the lingering effects of colonisation. I call “bull.” Tamatha’s concerns about police visibility have some validity and are rooted in real experiences. But it is essential to qualify her comments, as applicable to a small (if growing) section of our society, who are subject to an intergenerational cycle of violence that has poverty at its root. Without such qualification, which Tamatha has never offered, her comments are disrespectful to the men and women of the police force, both here and those departed. This is where it gets a bit personal. My grandfather and an uncle were with the force, both of whom have now passed. Two of my wife’s bridesmaids are making sterling contributions to their communities with the force in Christchurch. But most disrespectfully, is the case of a rugby mate, a husband and Father from my Hawkes Bay days. He was brutally shot and killed in the line of duty with the perpetrator killing himself. Both murdered police officer and his killer were of Māori extraction from the same iwi.
While colonisation has undoubtedly played a role in shaping societal issues, it is crucial to recognise that poverty is the single most significant underlying factor. Poverty does not discriminate based on race or ethnicity; it affects individuals across all demographics and leads the desperate, to take desperate measures. However, Tamatha’s Green Party policies of anti-growth, anti-capitalism, and misplaced championing of less affordable, intermittent, low-density energy sources, exacerbates poverty in New Zealand. “But renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels” they will say. In response I would ask “How much does it cost to buy a kilowatt hour of solar or wind power once the Sun’s gone down or the wind’s not blowing?” Yeah, that’s right. You can’t.
Had the Green Party not championed the ban on oil and gas exploration, we could be tapping into promising prospects offshore Hawke’s Bay or the Barque prospect offshore Canterbury. In addition to energy security, these developments could create thousands of high-paying jobs, enormous royalty revenues and provide economic independence for those struggling to make ends meet. In my opinion piece for The Post back in April 2018, I highlighted that the real cost of closing down oil and gas was the lost chance to bring folks out of poverty and I stand by that. The potential benefits of these resources could have been transformative for our economy and made a real difference to the lives of those doing it tough, not to mention funding quality health, education and other public services. Instead, Green dogma, successfully shut down what could have been a nation changing industry. They have made poverty worse in New Zealand.
To change the economic fortunes of New Zealand and climb back up the OECD productivity rankings, like every 21st century economy, we need reliable and affordable energy. Globally, fossil fuels continue to make up over 80% of the mix. It is cheap, reliable, energy, whether in the form of fuel or power. It is the life blood that allows businesses to produce more efficiently, increase productivity, compete globally, pay more taxes, and potentially hire more staff. In the absence of an alternative to fossil fuels, fossil fuels remain the path to economic independence that can contribute to consigning the struggles depicted in “Once Were Warriors” to history.
Unfortunately, Green Party dogma disallows this strategy. Their policies once were centred on the environment. But over time, balanced environmental protection that Kiwis support, has morphed into the degrowth, anti-capitalist, anti-business agenda. This is the “ideology” we hear so much about. But preventing access to natural resources is contributing to the very issues Tamatha highlights. We are poorer, more desperate, on the edge of the law, or over it. No surprise then that sections of our community at the limit feel uneasy when seeing police officers. This is not likely to be Tamatha’s constituents in Wellington Central, one of New Zealand’s wealthiest and most educated electorates. However, for those living far away from the Beehive who are in poverty, the kind of kids I used to deal with each day, the presence of police can be a stark reminder of their struggles. Just remember the police deal with these kids every day too. Tamatha does not.
The degrowth policies embraced by the Green Party, have consistently led to economic decline wherever they have been tried – ask anyone at Kinleith or Ohakune where the pulp and paper mills are closing due to surging electricity prices. “Surging” because we have no gas! Conversely, providing individuals with opportunities and fostering a competitive environment can lead to economic prosperity. Kiwis are known for their ingenuity and resilience; given the chance, they can create wealth for themselves, their businesses, and their communities.
We need to address the broader economic policies that contribute to poverty and recognise that Tamatha’s own party’s energy policies are, and will, exacerbate them. By focusing on reliable and affordable energy, fostering competition, and providing opportunities, we can create a more prosperous and secure future for all New Zealanders.
Sean Rush was an Eastern Ward Wellington City Councillor from 2019 to 2022 and stood for the Act party in the Otaki electorate in the 2023 general election. He was formerly a Director of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.
Notes:
- Len Snee murder covered by Stuff at https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2391507/Police-officer-shot-dead-in-Napier
Rush Op-ed 27 April 2018 https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/103389522/the-real-cost-of-closing-down-oil-and-gas
