I recently had the opportunity to question Chris Luxton and included a question about trust and what he intended to do about increasing the dismal survey results from a December 22 poll that showed only 39.6% of the poll respondents trusted the government. His response will be published next month, but in the meantime, just how important is trust in our Government and its Ministers?
We will never I suspect get to a 100% trust rate, but Governments need to be trusted in order for democracy to flourish. The OCED states that “Trust is the foundation upon which the legitimacy of democratic institutions rest. Trust is crucial for ensuring the success of a wide range of public policies that depend on behavioural responses from the public. For example, public trust leads to greater compliance with public health responses, regulations and the tax system. In the longer term, trust is needed to help governments tackle long-term societal challenges such as climate change, ageing populations, and changing labour markets.”
So, what does the average New Zealander look for when it looks for trust in its government. The top 3 - Reliable / keeps its promises - Open and transparent - Behaves responsibly. It seems straight forward enough. You would expect much of the same, from your family, your employer or your friends.
In the age of social media and instant reporting, it is very easy for politicians to be tripped up if they say one thing and then go back on their word. They are human after all. But the accountability of such behaviours is rather limited if it can be excused away by ‘evolving situations’ or ‘national state of emergencies’. But there is still an underlying element that the decisions made, even if not what was promised, were made with all our interests at heart and not because they were influenced by a group or a situation. This is where results matter. Where evidence of things getting done and done timely showcase to everyone that the decisions made were made in the best interests of all New Zealanders. Actual achievable goals and timeframes in the fields of health, education, housing, child poverty, the list goes on. How long you should give to see these results? and what tangible results are visible? are questions only us as individuals can answer, but we all need to be more vigilant and engaged in the choices we make if we are to be able to criticize what befalls us this election year.