TLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for an especially long year of indecision, uncertainty and yet more delay.
Getting decisions during a General Election year is always hard, but this one is shaping up to be particularly difficult because both parties look set to pursue ‘low target’ policy platforms, a new batch of ministers and their officials will be especially risk-averse, and the election looks set to be closer than imagined even a couple of weeks ago.
I include more detail and analysis for paying subscribers about the ‘big wait of 2023’ below the paywall fold and in the podcast above.
Elsewhere in the news in our political economy, geo-politics and the global economy overnight and this morning:
A Newshub/Reid Research poll found a net 26% of those surveyed trusted new PM Chris Hipkins, while a net 6.9% said they did not trust National Leader Christopher Luxon;
The NZ Herald’s David Fisher reported1 this morning that Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown moaned to tennis mates in a WhatsApp group message the day before the floods about having to cancel his tennis game on Friday because he had to deal with media interviews about the expected floods;
European business and consumer confidence survey results out overnight were stronger than expected after a mild winter and Government subsidies meant energy price hikes weren’t as bad as expected, and a long-feared post-Ukraine war recession has yet to set in; although,
German GDP data showed Europe’s largest economy contracted slightly in the December quarter, but may yet avoid a formal recession in another sign soft landings are more possible in the big Northern Hemisphere economies.
Why we face a big, long and frustrating waits in 2023
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