As politics in New Zealand becomes more of a blood sport and less about policy initiatives, it’s easy for the public to lose sight of what really matters. Elections are now often run around a cult of personality where scoring cheap political points with catchy soundbites is the name of the game.
However the 2020 election in New Zealand seems to be slightly different. The mainstream media appears to finally be concerned that our political system is becoming too much like the train wreck we’re currently witnessing in the US, and they’ve begun to push back slightly against politicians who make unsubstantiated and/or entirely false claims.
Here are just a few recent examples of the mainstream media fact-checking the National Party’s misleading statements:
On Sept 21, AAP reported:
Has NSW weathered the impacts of COVID-19 better than NZ?
AAP FactCheck Investigation: Does NSW have fewer COVID-19 deaths than New Zealand, as well as a booming economy and fans attending rugby matches?
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THE VERDICT
AAP FactCheck found the statement that every Australian state bar Victoria has had fewer COVID-19 deaths than New Zealand to be false.
NZ Ministry of Health figures at the time of publication showed the NZ death toll from COVID-19 to be 25, while 53 people had died in NSW over the same period.
Ms Collins also misrepresented the state’s economic situation, with NSW in a technical recession along with the rest of Australia.
Mostly False – The claim is mostly false with a minor element of truth.
Last week, Newshub reported:
Judith Collins' claim 100 percent renewable electricity would increase power prices fact-checked as 'mostly false'
Will transitioning to 100 percent renewable electricity generation increase power prices in New Zealand?
...
The verdict
AAP FactCheck found the statement that the Government's plan to make New Zealand's electricity generation 100 percent renewable by 2030 would significantly increase prices to be mostly false.
While a report did find electricity prices could increase significantly under certain scenarios, the Government is investigating using a pumped hydro storage scheme which experts predict will reduce electricity prices.
However, there is a level of uncertainty about how the pumped hydro storage will affect prices and how it will be paid for as investigations into the scheme are still in the early stages.
Mostly false - the claim is mostly false with one minor element of truth.
Also last week, Newshub reported:
National MP's claim ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration increased power prices fact-checked as 'mostly false'
Has the New Zealand government’s ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration resulted in an increase in energy prices and a rise in the consumption of imported coal?
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The Verdict
AAP FactCheck found the statement that the government’s ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration resulted in an increase in energy prices and a rise in the consumption of imported coal to be mostly false.
Some electricity prices have risen while others have fallen, and fuel and gas prices have also experienced a mixture of increases and decreases. Coal imports have increased significantly but coal consumption has dropped slightly.
Energy industry experts and government reports indicate the oil and gas exploration ban was unlikely to have had a short-term impact on prices or coal consumption in the past two years. Other factors such as drought, gas field outages and global markets are likely to have been the main influences on price.
Mostly False – The claim is mostly false with one minor element of truth.
Last Wednesday, 1 News reported:
AAP election fact check: National overstates benefit of NZ tax cut plan
AAP FactCheck Investigation: Would New Zealanders earning between $50,000 and $70,000 be $3000 better off under National’s proposed tax cuts?
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THE VERDICT
AAP FactCheck found the statement that people earning between $50,000 and $70,000 would be $3000 better off under National’s tax policy to be mostly false.
Those earning $50,000 and $60,000 a year would get less than $3000 in tax savings under the policy. A person would need to earn more than $62,640 to get a $3000 benefit.
Mostly False – The claim is mostly false with one minor element of truth.
Yesterday, Newshub reported:
National Party's claim it increased renewable energy 'misleading', AAP factcheck finds
Did the proportion of renewable electricity generation increase faster under the previous National government than the current Labour leadership - and was National responsible for this?
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The verdict
AAP FactCheck found that Mr Brown's statement was misleading. While he quoted correct figures showing renewable electricity generation increased from 65.4 percent to 81.9 percent under the previous National government, and by only 0.5 percent under the Labour-led administration, experts say these changes have largely been independent of government policy.
An MBIE report said renewable generation was down recently due to drought, while historic figures show New Zealand has at times received more than 90 percent of its electricity from renewable sources before either the most recent National or Labour governments took power.
Misleading - The claim is accurate in parts but information has also been presented incorrectly, out of context or omitted.
Today, RNZ reported:
Fact check: Are tourists and international students still contributing to the NZ economy?
Has the New Zealand economy lost a combined $21 billion in exports from tourism and international students? AAP fact checks National leader Judith Collins' statement.
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The verdict
Based on the latest available data, AAP FactCheck found the New Zealand economy has not lost $21 billion from tourism and international students.
The border closure has severely impacted the two industries, but figures for the June quarter show spending by international students and tourists was only down 50 percent and had not evaporated in its entirety.
False - The checkable claim is false.
If these articles are anything to go by, the National Party is again trying to rely on disinformation to attract ill-informed voters to their banner. Whether this is through intentional dishonesty or sheer ignorance, whatever the blue "team" says obviously should NOT be taken at face value.
In fact everything the National Party claims these days should be taken with a very small grain of salt. This is especially the case when considering their current leader, Judith Collins, who seems intent on misleading voters whenever possible. But I guess when you’ve got a track record as bad as hers, lying to the public is really your only option.
