The triennial general election is an opportunity for us all to have a say in who governs New Zealand for the next three-year parliamentary term, so I hope that everyone who’s eligible uses (or has used) their democratic right to vote. For weeks, the political parties and their representatives have been on the campaign trail, outlining their policies and the benefits that casting a vote in their direction would bring, and early November is time to decide which boxes you’re going to tick.

Some people will vote the same way they have always voted regardless of the claims and counterclaims made by the various parties. However, for others, the different messages based on the varying promises and assertions that the parties are putting forward raise the question as to who they’re going to vote for. The usual pre-election hot topics, the cost of living, health, education and fiscal policies, have once more come to the fore, with the main parties each claiming that they’ve got the solutions to their opponents’ failings in these areas. Given the fact that, as expected, the government and the opposition parties are taking a very different view on each other’s economic narrative, it is little surprise that people are confused as to whose current economic claims are valid and could become a reality after the election.
Regardless of the various points of view offered, it appears that our economic challenges will be around for a while longer, with the Official Cash Rate (OCR) increasing recently and predicted to keep rising in the short term. As you are probably aware, as the OCR rises, so do interest rates, impacting business and household budgets and consumers’ ability to spend, for some even on the essentials. Additionally, reduced income and cashflow for businesses in different sectors can result in operational difficulties, where their resilience gets tested as they do whatever needs to be done to keep the doors open. Unfortunately, in recent times, just as there were signs of a sustained economic recovery, geopolitical conflicts around the world have conspired, and indeed still conspire, to derail our economic recovery and that of many other countries around the world. 
Whoever you decide to vote for in this general election, I sincerely hope that the next government can deliver an economic future that enables everyone to enjoy a financially secure, stress-free lifestyle, where high inflation and interest rates become a thing of the past.
In closing, I would once more ask you to continue to support your local businesses by buying local and utilising locally available goods and services whenever possible, so that local businesses can continue to offer local employment opportunities to local people. 
 
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kevin@businessnh.org.nz