WORKERS WON'T MISS BROOKE VAN VELDEN

Brooke van Velden's announcement that she is retiring from politics marks the end of a ministerial career defined less by service to ordinary people than by a consistent commitment to policies that weakened the position of the working class while strengthening the hand of corporate interests.

 

BROOKE VAN VELDEN'S announcement that she is retiring from politics has been met with a remarkable absence of public grief, and it is not difficult to understand why. Her departure marks the end of a ministerial career defined less by service to ordinary people than by a consistent commitment to policies that weakened the position of the working class while strengthening the hand of corporate interests. In a political moment where inequality is deepening and wages continue to stagnate, van Velden’s legacy is not one that will be fondly remembered by those who bore the brunt of her decisions.

Her exit comes at a time when her party is languishing at barely seven percent in the polls — a stark indicator of how little resonance its agenda has with the wider public. For all the rhetoric about 'freedom,' 'efficiency,' and 'modernisation,' the policies championed under her watch delivered very little to the people who keep the country running. Instead, they entrenched the priorities of employers, investors, and lobbyists who have long sought to reshape New Zealand’s political landscape in their favour. This, folks, is the Act Party's — and van Velden's — so-called 'libertarianism'.

Van Velden’s ministerial tenure was marked by a relentless push to weaken labour protections, dilute workplace standards, and shift power away from employees and toward employers. Whether it was undermining collective bargaining, resisting increases to the minimum wage, or championing deregulation that left workers more vulnerable, her approach consistently aligned with the interests of those who already held economic power. These were not accidental outcomes; they were the product of a political worldview that sees the working class not as partners in a fair society but as obstacles to a more 'flexible' economy.

It is telling that she now frames her departure as an opportunity to 'pursue other interests.' For many workers, the interests she pursued while in office were precisely the problem. The policies she advanced were ideological interventions that reshaped the balance of power in workplaces across the country. And the consequences were felt most acutely by those with the least ability to absorb them — low-income workers, young people in precarious jobs, and families already struggling to make ends meet.

Her retirement also exposes the hollowness of her party’s broader project. With support barely scraping above seven percent, it is clear that the public appetite for a politics built around deregulation, austerity, and the erosion of worker rights is limited. The party’s leadership may continue to insist that they represent a bold alternative, but the numbers tell a different story: New Zealanders are not convinced that a future built on weakened labour protections and strengthened corporate influence is one worth embracing.

In many ways, van Velden’s departure is symbolic of a deeper political shift. The old neoliberal certainties that once dominated New Zealand politics are losing their grip. People are increasingly aware that decades of market-driven reforms have not delivered the prosperity they were promised. Wages have stagnated, housing has become unaffordable, and inequality has widened. Against this backdrop, a minister whose signature achievements involved making life harder for workers was never going to be celebrated.

Her exit also raises questions about the future direction of her party. Without a clear strategy for reconnecting with ordinary people — and without a willingness to break from the corporate-friendly orthodoxy that has defined its identity — it is difficult to see how it can rebuild meaningful support. The political landscape is shifting, and parties that cling to the old formulas of deregulation and trickle-down economics are finding themselves increasingly out of step with public sentiment. Ironically, perhaps the only thing that keeps the Act Party in the game is a timid Labour Party that also refuses to break with the neoliberal 'consensus'.

Brooke van Velden may choose to pursue new interests, but the consequences of her political choices will linger. Workers who lost protections, communities that saw their economic security eroded, and industries where power became even more lopsided will continue to feel the effects long after she has left the stage. Her retirement is not a moment of national reflection or gratitude; it is simply the quiet exit of a politician whose agenda never aligned with the needs of the many.

If anything, her departure should serve as a reminder of the urgent need for a political movement that puts working people at the centre — not as an afterthought, not as a cost to be managed, but as the foundation of a fair and thriving society.