Labour MP Willie Jackson has called on the government to rule out privatising public assets following renewed calls from Act Party leader David Seymour to revisit asset sales.
Seymour, soon to be deputy prime minister, advocates for free-market policies and has reintroduced the idea of selling off public assets as part of his State of the Nation speech in Ōrākei. He argues that privatisation could help reduce government debt and boost economic efficiency.
However, Jackson urged the government to remain committed to keeping key assets in public hands.
Asset sales have long been a point of contention in New Zealand politics, with major sales of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the 1980s and 1990s remaining a highly debated topic.
“I was involved in the unions; many of us walked away during that period. It’s not a program we want back, and Seymour needs to rule it out.”
Jackson’s comments reflect concerns within the Labour Party and broader public sentiment about the potential negative impacts of privatisation, including rising costs for consumers, especially for iwi entities.
He says the selling off of state assets will lead to reduced access to essential services.
Whakamutua atu te hoko rawa
“I would not be surprised if Māori did not take legal action,
“You’ve heard the angst, and we’ve had the terrible experience of what happens in terms of privatisation.”
Ko te whakahau a Jackson ki te kāwanatanga, parea ki rāhaki ngā whakapae a te kaihautū o ACT, o David Seymour, kia tirohia anō te rautaki hoko rawa.
“We want to hear from this Prime Minister and ask, is there going to be a clear message from the Prime Minister with regards to ruling out Seymour’s privatisation program or not?”
Hei tā te Pirimia, tā Christopher Luxon, taihoa ake te kōrero mō te hoko rawa tūmatanui, hei tāna, ki te riro anō i tana pāti te tūru o te Kāwanatanga, ka wānangahia te hokotanga atu o ngā rawa a Aotearoa.
“I’m open to the debate and discussion, which I understand, but for the first three years of this government, we need to be focusing on other things like growing the economy.”
