Rather than allowing the Government to frame up it's own version of what success looks like on a quarterly basis - with "increased energy levels" and "delivery of the deliverables" and "repealing things" among the so called achievements...I've been pondering what real measures of success would look like.
At the moment the Government is simply ticking off terms in Coalition Agreements and calling that box ticking success and coming dangerously close to taking credit for things it has not done - as well as making excuses about what it has inherited and how - it will take time for the "turn around to take effect".
It's been six months and so far things have only gotten worse on most counts, as real people feel the impacts and the Government marches on relentlessly in its cocoon of neoliberal spin.
Here's Seven more realistic KPIs for the Government to measure itself with :
1. What percentage of Inflation can the Government claim it reduced inflation by since coming into Office?
The Government has no business claiming that falling inflation due to monetary policy is part of it rebuilding the economy.
However it could claim credit for some portion of falling inflation through fiscal policy. Although this is likely to be a very tiny amount.
To be frank focusing the Reserve Bank on a single goal has no effect at all on reducing inflation and during the past six months the decline in inflation is following the projected track forecast by the Reserve Bank months ago.
Nothing to do with Luxon and Willis.
The Budget will introduce some part of $14.9 Billion into the economy via tax cuts and this may stimulate demand slowing down the decline of inflation - despite the other possibility that it's all fiscally neutral due to slashing Government spending.
Nicola Willis needs to show how her fiscal policy is combating the main drivers of non tradable inflation - rents, rates and rising construction costs.
As you know rents are soaring and rates are about to skyrocket.
While National are doing something about the Building Industry - it's pouring fuel on the inflationary fires - with its other policies - making housing speculation more attractive and forcing councils to charge higher rates in particular over water infrastructure.
So what is the actual amount Willis has reduced inflation by and was that worth all the damage she is doing? I suspect the amount is negligible and the damage disproportionately huge.
2.) What percentage has direct Government policies decreased Retail Crime?
So far retail crime is running amok and out of control and talk about "tough on crime" policies like banning gang patches, getting rid of Section 27 reports, or Three Strikes for crimes that attract a sentence longer than 24 months - are irrelevant to retail crime.
The Government is short of cash and therefore short of ambition to support the Police or Retail Shop owners and we all see how the Government has gone to arbitration over Police Pay.
Data for 2023 showed the total number of offences reported related to retailers (including the reported victimisations) was nearly 150,000. These ranged from potential disturbances to actual substantiated crimes.
The anecdotal evidence suggests the Government has made no progress - in the past week, three jewellery stores were hit - two in Auckland were targeted by masked thieves while customers were in store; the third was in Whakatāne. Indian jewellery store owners are disappointed the Government has failed to reduce crime amid a recent spate of aggravated robberies.
Right now Mark Mitchell has no idea what is going on and only has excuses.
3.) How many FTAs have been signed or upgraded and how much have exports grown in those new markets since the Government came into office?
Talk about increasing the intensity and deepening relationship is all "Pre-sales" activity talk - which anyone can claim but the real deal is in signed ink and ratification.
At the moment Todd McClay and Winston Peters and Christopher Luxon have rushed around "raising the energy" and "getting the hustle on" but they are all empty handed and it's results that count in their own words.
So far the results are a big fat zero on this measure.
4.) How many carbon emissions have the Government reduced from entering our atmosphere since it came into Office?
At the moment the Government has not gotten on with "doubling Renewable energy at all" and instead it has made emissions reduction harder by stealing all the GIDI project funds that help decarbonise industry. Kicking Agriculture’s can down the road till 2030 before it joins the ETS and disincentivising the uptake of EVs have all combined to slow down emissions reduction.
The outcome is worse than doing nothing and right now that's a big fail.
5.) School Attendance - are children attending school regularly and to what extent is that because of Government policy?
This measure includes the definition of "regularly" which is 90% of the time and excludes justifiable absence.
This trend was improving when the Government came into office, as fewer children were away with Covid and many schools offered free lunches and there were reduced transport fares - so it is expected that it would have continued to improve all things being equal.
Right now there have been no policies implemented by this Government that might improve the attendance of children beyond the existing trend that I am aware of.
6.) To what extent are waiting lists for elective surgery and specialist appointments reducing - due to changes in Government Policy?
As you know the waiting lists will eventually reduce but slowly after the massive buildup thanks to Covid.
Cost cutting seems to be the focus and bringing back unambitious targets that may distort behaviours...while promises to solve workforce issues seem to have stalled.
7.) Has GDP growth rates increased and net core crown debt been reduced and to what extent is this directly because of Government Policy?
We've heard a great deal of talk about rebuilding the economy and fast tracking getting things done - but there's not much behind these words and so far GDP is projected to remain flat for another year or so.
There was much misplaced outrage about net core crown debt by Nicola Willis but so far she is only borrowing more and distorting the picture by referring back to methods that are not comparable with other nations.
Right now its hard to say how GDP growth has been increased by Christopher Luxon in the past 6 months? I accept that perhaps GDP Growth is not the best measure - when wellbeing is more important right now - but for the sake of comparison and in line with pre-election rhetoric about rebuilding the economy - exactly what have all these words added up to?
Literally zilch so far. Just a load of speeches and photo ops.
Of course you could specify a few more KPIs to add to my list - but seven was enough for this article to make the point - that real KPIs show no progress is being made - versus the BS measures Luxon is trying to groom media to measure him with.
G News - The real KPIs for the Government
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