Fran O'Sullivan: Come on Robertson, become the coach

We know Grant Robertson is a rugby fan -- but can he turn coach and get business on the team? Photo / Mark Mitchell

COMMENT:

Here's a thought experiment for Finance Minister Grant Robertson to while away some time on a long flight to Tokyo.

As you jet off wearing your Sports Minister's hat for the Rugby World Cup, put yourself in All Blacks coach Steve Hansen's shoes.

You know you want to have a winning team. Particularly if you are to sweep back into power at next year's election. But you need to focus on the team that really matters to the New Zealand economy — and ultimately your own team's chances — and that is New Zealand business.

Become the coach. Not get bogged down in inter-Cabinet politics or by adhering to failed strategies that can't be executed in a timely fashion.

Your own captain, Jacinda Ardern, has not been as comprehensively tested as Kieran Read. She needs coaching so she — with you — can step up and make what should be some quite easy decisions. They might upset some of the more ideological members of your Government. But these decisions are necessary for confidence to be rebuilt.

And this is where New Zealand business comes into play.

I don't buy into the convenient spiel that New Zealand businesspeople have a bias against the Coalition Government.

At the 2017 election there was broad support from many in business for an incoming government to tackle some major issues. Particularly on housing, homelessness and immigration.

There was goodwill.

But confidence was tested by the oil and gas exploration decision — made without consultation with business.

Then there was the capital gains tax saga, when business sweated during a six-month hiatus, not knowing if they would be pinged with a CGT on the sale of companies and assets; let alone the farmers and small business owners in the same boat.

Confidence has since been tested by the failure of KiwiBuild, which does impact on business as housing affordability is a major issue, particularly in Auckland, and impacts on their ability to get and retain staff.

Then there is transport.

Businesspeople have been telling you for months that business productivity in Auckland is challenged. There's the obvious road congestion affecting how long motorists take getting to work. Then there is the failure to build those much-needed roads that even the Prime Minister's Business Council advised were urgent.

But somehow, the Cabinet coaching team has got itself snarled up.

Forget the light rail project that Labour campaigned on at the 2017 election.

That's not going to be shovel ready before next year's election. No-one is going to arrive at Auckland Airport to take light rail into the city at the time of the Apec leaders' meeting.

In the long run, light rail may possibly be a boon for passenger travel.

But there is a revolution taking place in front of your eyes which makes roads an essential part of the expanded transport network.

Electric vehicles and buses are a sensible response to the revolution against fossil fuels. They use existing networks.

Congestion charging and network charging (ie tolls, which New Zealanders pay when they travel elsewhere) should be introduced.

Again, this is not rocket science. There have been studies reaching back to former Auckland Mayor Len Brown's time showing broad support for the measure. This ought to even out network use.

Then there is the East West Link project, which is so necessary to unlock heavy traffic flows in Auckland. In March this year, the NZ Transport Agency reported the East West Link was one of a number of projects being reviewed, to evaluate whether they align with the new priorities and strategic direction set out by the Government Policy Statement on land transport.

This re-evaluation is part of the Transport Agency's overall work to take a fresh look at transport investments across the country. The outcome of the re-evaluation is expected shortly and we expect to be able to make announcements about decisions on this project in the coming months.

Well, it is October now and a decision is still pending.

The Penlink project is another project that could quickly be ticked off. Again, this is not rocket science.

All it takes is a signal that the Government is responding to what business is telling you.

There's plenty more you can do. But just these two moves will send a signal that business will respond positively to.

That's because their job will become easier.

So watch Steve Hansen closely. Take control and act.