On their next visit to the polling booths, New Zealanders will vote under a new, more democratic system for their national parliament. Their ballot papers are likely to look quite different too, with a number of new parties entering what may end up resembling a Melbourne Cup field. Under multi-member proportional (MMP) representative voting, parties gaining 5% support will be represented in the new legislature. New Zealand Alliance spokesperson KEITH LOCKE speaks with Green Left Weekly's FRANK ENRIGHT on the reshaping of New Zealand political landscape.
Under the impulse of MMP, new parties are being flagged and forces gathered for fanfared launches to a sceptical New Zealand electorate, tired of the broken promises of the National and Labour parties.
"There are currently two new parties being signalled, one which some people have initialled MMP, the Mike Moore Party [Moore was dumped as Labour leader following the party's defeat at the last polls]. He's presented this as a centre party", says Locke, foreign affairs spokesperson for the five-party Alliance.
Moore has had discussions with a number other current Labour MPs and with the populist leader of the New Zealand First party, Winston Peters. This presents difficulties in political terms, Locke says, because "they're all talking about how they're the 'centre'". Complicating matters further between Moore and Peters is who would be leader.
"The other development is the signalling of the formation of a new-right party." This group currently parades as the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT) under the leadership of ex-Labour finance minister (now Sir) Roger Douglas, after whom New Zealand's brand of Thatcherism, "Rogernomics", was named. Douglas has announced that ACT will become a political party, possibly masquerading under the misnomer of the Progressive Party.
"This party is likely to have several well-known public figures in it", reports Locke, "including members of the ruling National Party. Senior business figures have also declared support for such a party.
"I think what they are working at is a repetition of the anti-MMP campaign last year. Then they set up as a business venture really." Known as the Campaign for Better Government, the organisation turned away people wishing to join, setting up office in the headquarters of the privatised Telecom.
"They are going to organise the new-right party on the same basis and pour money into it. It will probably have more money than the other parties combined", comments Locke.
But this may be a new-right party with a twist. It is likely to appear socially progressive, mainly to detach itself from the moral right. Locke says that because New Zealand is foremost a trading nation with diverse overseas markets, a relatively progressive social image can assist business to carve out a general international acceptability.
New Zealand business came to understand that the anti-nuclear legislation that caused a spat with the US, whose nuclear warships were barred from New Zealand waters, didn't really hamper trading prospects. Perhaps the reverse: for an agricultural exporter, the image of clean, green and anti-nuclear can be an advantage. Locke says that while this may be a factor in shaping the new right, it "doesn't mean big business interests in New Zealand are counterposed to those of the US".
Douglas' policy will be to privatise everything that remains in government hands and give people vouchers to buy their health care and their education. Douglas attended a Maori meeting recently where he sold his voucher scheme as empowering the Maori people to set up their own health units.
"Douglas tries to play the new-right policies as being democratic." Locke relates the rhetoric: "People won't be paying as much tax, you'll be able to act as independent consumers with these vouchers, we'll cut defence expenditure, we're not reactionary in terms of censorship or anti-gay or anti-abortion, we're a progressive party".
The National Party and Labour are very concerned about this development, because they are squashed in the middle between a well-financed and sophisticated new right and the progressive Alliance. "That's why people like Mike Moore are going to jump ship, to try to create another image, another project that can gain some ground", says Locke.
The Alliance is the only party putting forward progressive policies on the economy, in health and education and in defence of social infrastructure. This has pushed its popularity above Labour's and the 30% mark. The Alliance has captured much of the labour movement ground from the discredited Labour Party.
Despite this success, in late July, a meeting in Auckland will discuss the formation of a non-Alliance green party. The Green Party strongly reaffirmed its continued membership of the Alliance at its May national conference.
Both National and Labour are likely decompose under MMP, with some MPs from both parties going over to Douglas' project. Others may yet join the Alliance. After the next elections, it is unlikely that any one party will command a majority in parliament.
Whether the new parties and future coalitions will fundamentally change New Zealand politics or merely reshuffle the old pack will be watched with great interest far beyond the land of the long white cloud.