UnitedFuture proud of it’s history, but all good things must end

Since the election, we’ve been having robust discussions about the future of our party.

We’re extremely proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 15 years, working alongside the government of the day (Labour and National). We brought families back into the political conversation and gave a voice to hunters with the Game Animal Council. We put the handbrake on asset sales, removed caps on tax deductibility for charitable giving and provided better access to medicines. We helped deliver Working for Families, KiwiSaver and stable government. Our continued focus ensured that Transmission Gully highway is underway, drugs are considered a health issue and our fire service is supported by fit for purpose legislation.

By August 2017 UnitedFuture had become the party with the longest continuous role in New Zealand government for 100 years. This is an incredible achievement, setting the standard for making MMP work to provide stable, collaborative government.

However despite our successes in parliament, it is no secret that we have struggled at election time. Since the election we’ve been investigating why – we’ve talked to members and non-members, those who voted for us and those that didn’t. We know people like our policies and vision but it hasn’t translated into votes. While the reasons vary, what has become clear is that UnitedFuture will not be able to achieve the significant number of votes required to break the threshold.

Therefore we have decided is it time to disband the UnitedFuture party.

This decision has not been made lightly and has been debated at length. At this weekend’s Annual General Meeting a motion was passed with unanimous support after hours of discussion. I’d like to thank those present for attending and for their honest and open discussion on a challenging topic.

While we have unfinished business, we agreed that UnitedFuture is not the vehicle to achieve it. It’s likely that members will go on to continue to work towards ensuring that New Zealand is the best place to live, work and raise a family. Already there is discussion about other ways to achieve this and we can expect other groups to arise to carry on the work.

Thank you everyone who has stood, supported and voted for us throughout the last 15 years. We have achieved a massive amount in a short space and we are proud. While there is sadness at end of UnitedFuture Party, all good things must end.

As the book closes on UnitedFuture, we can be satisfied that we’ve made a positive impact and that is how we wish to be remembered – as a group that fought for a government that creates an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are or where they are from.