Thank you for all your support, its time for a post election breather before we look to the future
Firstly, huge thank you to all the candidates who stood up for our party, our vision and our policies. It was a tough campaign but they’ve been outstanding representatives for UnitedFuture. Thank you Ben, Kelleigh, Bale, Judy, Quentin, John, John, Ian and JB. Your commitment to the cause has been an inspiration. Also thank you to our families and friends who supported us throughout.
Thank you to our members and supporters – those who’ve been loyal for years and those that joined us in the past few weeks. We would literally not exist without you and knowing you’re behind us gives us the strength to fight on. Your donations helped fund the thousands of leaflets, billboards and videos we used to spread our message. Every campaign is bigger than the candidates fronting it and this election is no different. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Thank you to everyone who voted for us – while we didn’t reach the threshold we needed, we value every vote we received. Be assured that those votes were not wasted, each shows that our message and vision has a place in politics. We will build on this over the next few years, we’re not finished.
Congratulations to the new MPs and those that have been returned. Regardless of where your vote came from, you are leaders and representatives for us all now. As the negotiations continue over the coming days and weeks, I implore you to not just think about this term, but for future generations too. You have a responsibility to tackle the housing crisis, climate change, inequality, mental health and drug reform. These issues cannot wait, needing urgent and cross party leadership with long term solutions.
Commiserations to those parties and MPs that missed out. Especially Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox of the Maori Party – while our kaupapa has been different, we’ve always considered us to be part of the same political whanau. We’ve achieved a lot working alongside you and Aotearoa is lesser for loosing you from parliament.
While there are still some votes to be counted, it seems that some Greens MP will not return. While we may have disagreed politically, you’ve earned my respect for standing up for what you believe in. In particular Mojo Mathers’s advocacy for inclusiveness and NZSL in parliament (and beyond) has been unparalleled. Much more needs to be done around ensuring our democracy is inclusive and I hope this does not stall without you.
Inevitably as the dust settles the focus will shift to what’s next for UnitedFuture and one we will need to address. We’ll talk to our members and supporters, those who voted for us and those that didn’t. We need to decide our plan for the next few years and what leadership structure we need to achieve it. The shape of our party may change, but our vision for New Zealand won’t. We’ll take our time and won’t rush into any decisions.
As a nation we also need to have a serious talk about the barriers to democracy, like the threshold and advantages given to existing parties and candidates. After 21 years of MMP we only have five parties, all with roots in the old parties. If parties funded by millionaires can’t break through that elusive threshold, what chance do the rest of us have.
But those questions are for another day. It’s time to us all to take a moment, relax and spend some time with our families and friends.
Again, thank you everyone for your support.
Talk soon.
Damian Light,
UnitedFuture Party Leader
