BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship

* Bryce Edwards writes –

New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation.
 
A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and 14 per cent oppose such a law. This is exactly what Kris Faafoi did recently, but because New Zealand lacks a cooling-off period he was able to move straight from being a government minister and go to work lobbying his former colleagues while they are still in government.
 
The survey carried out by Curia Research for the Taxpayers Union, shows National and Green voters are particularly keen on a cooling-off period, with about 71 per cent in support. Wellingtonians are the biggest supporters of this – with 73 per cent in favour of the two-year stand-down period.
 
The influence of the revolving door is illustrated again today with RNZ releasing the third part of Guyon Espiner’s series on lobbying, focusing on how former MPs and senior Beehive officials have extraordinary access and influence with those currently in power.

BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup: New Zealand’s social cohesion is being torn apart

Dr Bryce Edwards writes – 

New Zealand is becoming a less socially cohesive country. And the driver of this division is worsening inequality. That’s the view of most New Zealanders according to a survey conducted for the New Zealand Herald. It shows that inequalities of wealth and housing access are tearing the country apart.
 
The survey of 1000 people run by research company Dynata in late November showed that 64 per cent of the public thought that New Zealand society is becoming more divided. Only 16 per cent thought NZ has become more united in the last few years.
 
This survey backs up an earlier one carried out in January by Curia Research in which a large majority of 72 per cent said that we are more divided, with only 10 per cent believing we are less divided.
 
The cause of disunity: inequality
 
It is the unequal distribution of wealth that most New Zealanders believe is at the heart of this decline. According to the Herald’s survey, 74 per cent believe that wealth inequality is pushing us apart. In addition, when asked if “Our distribution of wealth is fair and good for the country”, 46 per cent disagreed and only 24 per cent agreed.