In a column published by 1News on Friday a 52-year-old North Island business owner voiced pointed frustrations with political polarization and rising ethnic division across New Zealand.
Running a wholesale nursery supplying retailers like Bunnings and Mitre 10, the anonymous entrepreneur earns an annual pre-tax income of approximately $250,000 and shares a household with his son.
In the series examining New Zealand’s state of the nation, he took issue with demographic categorizations, telling 1News, “This one of the things that actually got to me around some of the previous articles I’ve read [in this series]. I consider myself a New Zealander. And I really don’t like this whole race thing that’s starting to be prevalent in New Zealand. For me, I’m just a New Zealander.”
During the recent election, the business owner gave his candidate vote to National and his party vote to ACT. Explaining the split, he said that ACT Leader David Seymour speaks common sense regarding race and division.
Describing his impression of caretaker government leader Christopher Luxon as uninspiring, he said that dissatisfaction with the two main parties is clear. Party votes for National and Labour combined reached their lowest level since 1996.
“I vote selfishly, I suppose, for a party that’s going to help me run my business and make it successful so that I can continue employing the 50 people I do,” he told 1News.
Operating a wholesale plant nursery for three decades has brought severe financial strain over the past two to three years, driven heavily by discretionary consumer spending. Fuel costs alone surged by roughly $100,000 due to specialized delivery logistics.
Weekly supermarket spending for the two-person household runs between $350 and $500, requiring a 20-kilometer drive to the nearest Pak’nSave. Meanwhile, self-employment keeps him out of KiwiSaver, prioritizing business debt reduction over personal retirement contributions.
Regarding Labour’s proposed capital gains tax, he expressed deep uncertainty over how properties bought decades ago would be valued. According to Labour’s stated policy, applicable properties will be valued on July 1, 2027, with profit made after that date taxed at 28%, excluding family homes, farms, and businesses.
