Newstalk ZB: Oliver Hartwich on the business open letter to political parties
Our Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich joined Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB to discuss an open letter signed by around 50 business leaders calling on political parties to respect private property rights, freedom of contract, and lawful agreements.
Oliver argued that policies like rewriting already-signed retirement village contracts, cancelling lawfully granted mining approvals, and threatening firms with nationalisation (including National's supermarket break-up plan) form a broader pattern of "post-rational politics," where any policy that polls well with focus groups is fair game, regardless of party or merit. He said the letter was addressed to the parties themselves, who bear responsibility for not entertaining policies that undermine the country's basic economic rules. While also noting a troubling "culture of fear" among business leaders, many of whom privately agree the policies are damaging but won't say so publicly for fear of political retaliation.