The long and short of it: An open letter to new MPs - it’s time to think long-term
By Stuart Williams, Managing Director at Amova NZ
Originally published on The Post on October 29, 2026
Sometime after 7 November, a new wave of MPs will be sworn in alongside their re-elected peers. What all 120 members will likely be thinking about is what this election cycle has revealed about how Kiwis are thinking. The mood of the nation is that it’s time for pragmatic, durable solutions and consensus on long-term national priorities. Kiwis appear to share a view that Government and Opposition should be collaborating on the big plans and looking as far into the future as everyday people must when planning and saving for retirement.
Opinion: Elections bring self-reflection, and when we look at some of the big issues Kiwis are dealing with as they prepare to vote, there is a sense, based on the pollsters’ numbers, that the minor parties are connecting better on policy and promise. We are asking the following of you, and especially all the new MPs, when the next Parliament forms.
Voting and representation
As you know, the Electoral Amendment Act passed last year, bringing important changes to enrolment including removing the option of same-day enrolling on election day. We’ve seen big leaps forward in technology this season; I received my voter card by email for the first time. If we want to raise the rate of enrolment of young people (62% of 18-24-year-olds are enrolled) to the same rate as people over 65, which by a quirk of maths and population estimates is slightly over 100%, we have to lean into tech.
People are already using AI to do their research, summarise and compare policies, and make an informed choice, and anecdotally, tools like Vote Compass seem more popular than ever, at least with those who are engaged (as at Labour Day, nearly 350,000 Kiwis had used it in this general election cycle). Increasingly, every election held anywhere seems like the most consequential one ever, and every population is battling misinformation and algorithms that seem to lead nowhere but to more rabbit holes. Elections are ground zero for controlling the tech rather than letting it control us.
Retirement policy…
As an MP, what is your plan for New Zealanders’ 30-year savings? The one non-negotiable should be the idea that our national savings pot through KiwiSaver (or savings more generally) has to go up. More savings gives individuals more options and it gives the country more options; a much larger pool of retirement savings will mean we are less of a beggar-borrower nation.
There is a lesson to be learned from Australia. On the face of it, the FMA’s KiwiSaver Annual Report 2026 gives impressive numbers: the KiwiSaver pool is now $138.8 billion, up 12.8% from the previous year, on the back of total contributions last year of $13.2 billion. But it still pales in comparison to Australia’s pool of A$4.8 trillion in retirement assets (a quarterly increase of 6.6% as at June 2026), with compulsory higher contribution rates. Of course, Australia made superannuation saving compulsory in 1992, and the mandatory minimum contribution rate has now reached 12%.
New Zealand’s default minimum rate is just 3.5%, and the highest contribution tier is 10%. But the bigger problem is that while there is a broad political acceptance that KiwiSaver is here to stay, there is no cross-party support for some of its key elements, and we have seen many incentives diluted or removed altogether since its introduction in 2007.
I would argue that adjusting to a compulsory scheme that starts from birth is simply a matter of conditioning and expectation. For the generation that wasn’t around for its inception and just grows up with it, and is required to make a contribution of (say) 12% from the time they enter the workforce, that is what’s normal. And it will almost certainly be necessary, because despite the lack of political consensus on raising the age of eligibility for NZ Super (or applying other tools, such as means testing), the numbers are only getting starker. Kiwis know this.
…infrastructure, and more
My sense is that what voters really want to see is long-term shared thinking around the big-ticket issues that we can’t afford to treat as left-right political footballs: as well as retirement age and savings, that’s infrastructure investment, healthcare funding, education policy and funding, and how we manage and fund the rest of the public service.
Infrastructure, as an example, is an area where we all want to see strategic thinking and a pragmatic approach to policy and funding. Any future government is likely going to be dealing with a fuel crisis for one reason or another, whether on a price or access basis or both. A consensus approach might enable us to tuck aside substantial fuel reserves and increase our self-sufficiency.
I’m sure my fellow New Zealanders join me in wishing you the best for your first term in Parliament.
Stuart Williams is Managing Director and Country Head of Amova Asset Management New Zealand, the Auckland based investment manager established in 1994 and formerly known as Nikko AM New Zealand, which manages New Zealand equity, fixed income and cash assets for KiwiSaver members, charitable trusts, foundations, local government and institutional clients.
Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied on as financial advice. Before making any investment decision, you should seek professional advice suited to your personal circumstances. Past returns are no indication of future performance.
