The government’s polling numbers are crashing, and it almost seems the avalanche of ridiculous headlines about their school lunch program will never end. This mess is a problem they created for themselves, and they thoroughly deserve it.

While the mainstream media has made the current government look like heroes, by screaming about largely imaginary cuts to the public service and other tokenistic changes, the venerable Taxpayers’ Union frequently reminds us that it is spending even more money than its predecessor. It has also notoriously doubled down on the program of economic sabotage in the name of “climate”.

The situation is of course entirely unsurprising. Conditions were more favourable for parties on the right in 2023 than they have been (or are likely to be) for generations, as shown by the huge swing away from Labour and the left. But the new coalition government has chosen not to take this opportunity to make real positive changes, instead extending the “Labour Lite” politics of John Key – locking in or even expanding just about every policy pushed by the anti-family, “big government” socialists who voters just threw out.

The ideological decay in the major parties is so bad that 2023 saw the incredible spectacle of not only National, but also Act, choosing to campaign on the basis that they would run Labour’s school lunch program more efficiently. In other words, from the start they promised only to do big government better than Labour.

What has happened to our society, and why has government grown so much that we now rely on it to feed our children? No wonder government spending doubled in just a decade, and keeps on growing. We are stuck in a vicious circle of ever-increasing dependence on government, which is a sure way to destroy a nation. This has to end - we must build back a society where individuals take responsibility for themselves and their own families.

How can we fix this situation? Luxon, Seymour and co don’t want to know - they’re quite happy bribing us with our own money. One of National’s other key promises in 2023 was the so-called “Family Boost” - yet another layer of subsidy for families who choose to put young children in childcare while both parents work. National may have had the best of intentions, but if so, they didn't think this through - it will inevitably make life even harder for those families who still sacrifice a second income so they can bring up their own children.

Voters who find themselves disappointed in the current government should realise that these parties are actually delivering what they promised – for all the talk of efficiency, they never promised real change. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Overseas leaders have shown us that government doesn’t need to constantly grow – its spending, its borrowing, and its control over our lives. All that is required is a mindset change.

The Conservatives offer that mindset change. We will:

• Radically reduce government by abolishing useless departments and ending wasteful spending and unnecessary regulation.
• Get its fingers out of our lunchboxes and wallets.
• Restore rational economic policy, including ending all climate-focused taxes, subsidies, and regulations.
• Reform funding of welfare (including Working For Families - to be replaced by our Family Builder income tax reform) and education (including ECE), to support the family instead of undermining it.

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