'Flat', 'tired', 'cynical': Unusually gloomy Kiwis deliver New Zealand's tightest election in years
The national mood is low, and faith in politics even lower - with voters deserting the major parties at the polls.
Key points
- New Zealand's election produced no clear mandate, with record numbers deserting the two major parties.
- Polling shows low national mood and weak faith in politics, with over half seeing the country as no land of opportunity.
- Unemployment is at an 11-year high, and about 180 people leave the country every day.
New Zealand voted on Saturday as fog covered Wellington, and the result was too close to call, with neither major party given a clear mandate. Record numbers of voters abandoned the two big parties, while the left-leaning Greens, the right-wing Act Party and the centrist Opportunity Party all reached new highs. The Opportunity Party, which had never won a seat in parliament, could now hold the balance of power with seven seats.
Voters described the mood as flat, tired and cynical. Polling cited in the article shows more than half the country no longer sees New Zealand as a land of opportunity, and a similar share fears the future will be worse. It could take weeks to learn which parties will form the governing coalition.
Economic pressures and departures
Unemployment is at an 11-year high and rising, and for people under 24 it is the worst in three decades, with one in three unable to get enough work or any at all. Electricity bills have jumped sharply, housing remains among the least affordable in the world, and about a quarter of adults skip meals because grocery prices are among the highest in the developed world.
About 180 people leave the country every day, a record exodus that the article says is dividing families and draining talent pools. Healthcare is also described as strained, with long waiting lists, understaffing and rising patient costs.
You have voted to change New Zealand politics for good
— Quilae Wong
Trust in politics
Former prime minister Helen Clark, who led from 1999 to 2008, told the BBC the issues lead to "a crisis of confidence about what New Zealand is and where it's going." The article says only two in five New Zealanders trust the government to do the right thing, and less than half trust the courts.
Some voices are more positive. Farmer Stu Morton said the past year was the best of his 30-year career, crediting a stable government and a positive attitude.
