I am increasingly worried that privatisation has a new form, the long-term contract or lease. We need to be clear that these agreements are privatisation by stealth, which is a dangerous game that involves people losing access to and control of our city and our country.
When times are tough, decision makers have always been tempted to sell public assets. Politicians do this to kick the ball down the road and avoid having to pay the price of the upkeep of public assets and services. I don’t believe I am dogmatic about these things, but over the years I think many of us have come to be weary of decisions made by one generation which restrict the access and rights of the next.
Our society is becoming more extremely stratified and unequal – some children have everything and others very little. Families and kids who are struggling the most will be worst impacted by a lack of public access to things like sports fields. Ordinary New Zealanders will lose out if we contract out basic services like hospitals.
Right now, I am worried about the risk of privatisation in national and local politics, and I want to draw your attention to a live issue in each arena.
Private contracts for surgery
In the national arena, the Government has just announced it will award 10-year outsourcing contracts to private hospitals to perform elective surgery. This is despite the concern of health professionals, who consider it disastrous as a long-term move. Royal Australasian College of Surgeons president Ros Pochin said that “outsourcing is not a solution to an inadequately funded health system”.
Many health professionals say these services should continue to be performed by our public hospitals because they are an integral part of the services a public hospital should offer. This move will hollow out the depth of knowledge and skill in public hospitals, leaving them with the hardest and most expensive work and allowing private institutions to focus on simpler procedures that generate large profits.
Experts also highlight that the way we train doctors is by allowing them to work on a full range of cases. They fear this will create even longer waiting lists as more and more doctors move into the private system. I am worried we will lose control over a core public service in the Government’s attempt to reinforce the myth that privatisation is always more effective.
Western Springs and the 99-year lease
More locally, I’m concerned that we might give away public access to a huge swathe of public land in Western Springs by granting a 99-year lease to a professional football club. Firstly, I love the development of the club and have been excited by its success. I also value the contribution to our community that is made by Ponsonby Rugby Club.
I can see the potential to use the fields for a lot of other sports as our city grows. I asked Councillors and Local Board members to visit the remarkable piece of land and talk to the rugby club about its alternative proposal. This proposal would enable big concerts, a relocated rugby club and enable lots of different sports to make use of the fields.
I am reminded of meeting with an ex all-white who was advocating for more open access sports fields in Auckland. He pointed out it is the accessibility of the game that makes football the “beautiful game”. It is universally attractive because anyone can play – all they need is a field and a ball. After that discussion, I saw the clusters of children kicking around a ball in places like Vanuatu and in our own electorate differently. While professional elite sport is wonderful, the local needs of every member our community are more important to me. Our kids need open access to this resource.
Helen with Sir Bryan Williams, All Blacks and Ponsonby Rugby Club legend.
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