It’s been a year and a half since the National-led coalition, headed by Christopher Luxon, attained power with a slick eight-point pledge card, promising to “get New Zealand back on track.”
But as we approach mid-2025, it’s clear this government is failing spectacularly on every front. From economic mismanagement to climate change denial, the coalition’s record is a litany of half truths and broken promises. New Zealanders deserve better, and this lot doesn’t deserve another minute, let alone another term.
The coalition crowed about taming inflation, and yes, it’s back within the Reserve Bank’s 1-3% target band after peaking in 2023. But this was a global trend, not a National victory. Inflation is actually higher in 2025 than treasury forecast. Meanwhile, the economy is limping along, real GDP contracted by 0.5% in 2024, with only a projected 1.4% growth in 2025. Unemployment has climbed to 5.4%, up from 3.4% in 2022, and a 1News Verian poll shows 60% of voters think the country’s in worse shape. The coalition’s austerity for the poor and tax cuts for the wealthy haven’t delivered the promised prosperity, they’ve deepened the recession.
2. Let You Keep More of What You Earn
Tax cuts were the coalition’s flagship promise, but the reality is a skewed deal. The 2024 tax package gave high earners thousands while low-income households got crumbs, just $10-$20 a week for many. Restoring interest deductibility for landlords, opposed by 46% of voters, prioritises property speculators over workers. There's been no downward pressure on rents. This isn’t relief; it’s a handout to the rich.
3. Build Infrastructure
The pledge for 13 new Roads of National Significance is a mirage. Only a few projects have broken ground, hampered by funding disputes and global cost pressures. The fast-track consenting regime, meant to speed things up, has been mired in controversy, with environmentalists and iwi slamming its lack of transparency. Infrastructure spending as a share of GDP dropped to 4.8% in 2024, below Labour’s 5.2%. Where’s the promised boom?
4. Restore Law and Order
Tough talk on crime, gang patch bans, 500 new police...hasn’t translated into results. Violent crime rates rose 3% in 2024, and youth offending targets are unmet, with boot camps criticised as ineffective. Only 30% of Kiwis feel safer, per a 2024 NZ Police survey. The coalition’s obsession with punitive measures ignores root causes like poverty, leaving communities exposed.
5. Lift School Achievement
Mandating an hour of reading, writing, and math daily sounds good, but student attendance is down 5% since 2023, and only 45% of Year 8 students meet curriculum levels, far from the 80% target. Charter schools are back, but evidence of their efficacy is thin. Banning cellphones hasn’t fixed truancy or underfunding. Education is stagnating.
6. Cut Health Waiting Times
Health promises are crumbling. Only 62% of elective patients waited less than four months in 2023, and 2024 data shows no significant improvement. Workforce shortages persist, despite immigration tweaks, only 200 of 1,000 promised nurses arrived by mid-2025. Health NZ’s budget cuts have slashed services, not wait times. Kiwis in need are suffering.
7. Support Seniors
Keeping superannuation at 65 (for now) and the Winter Energy Payment is bare minimum, not progress. Only 500 of 2,000 promised residential care beds are funded, and aged-care providers report a $200 million funding gap. With 15% of seniors in rental stress, the coalition’s housing inaction hits hard. This isn’t support, it’s neglect.
8. Deliver Net Zero by 2050
The coalition’s environmental record is a disgrace. Lifting bans on oil and gas exploration and delaying agricultural emissions pricing to 2030 undermine the 290-megatonne 2022-2025 target. Air NZ’s scrapping of its 2030 emissions goal reflects the government’s retreat. Experts warn NZ is off track for 2050 net zero, betraying future generations.
This coalition’s failures: economic stagnation, skewed tax policies, stalled infrastructure, rising crime, struggling schools, failing health services, neglected seniors, and environmental sabotage, show they’re out of their depth. With 64% of voters approving Labour’s prior performance, it’s clear New Zealanders want competence, not excuses. The National-led government has had their time, and they have failed to deliver.
