It’s fair to say that the winter of 2020 has been a time like no other for the Watts household, with dad immersing himself in his first election campaign just as a pandemic pulls apart the fabric that binds our communities together. Lockdowns, job security, closed schools and an economy on its knees are issues that have played out at our breakfast table, just as they have in homes throughout the country.

Since the easing of social distancing restrictions, I’ve been spending six days out of every week asking people how they are doing, what challenges are they facing and about the changes they need to see in order to get through this. Business leaders, high street retailers, employees in engineering firms along Wairau Road, innovators at Smales Farm and parents have all shared their thoughts and concerns. And the full story of what the pandemic actually means to each individual reflects the undeniable evidence of a country-wide tragedy. New Zealand’s economy stands at a precipice, and we’re going to have to get a lot smarter if we’re going to save it.

With the General Election imminent, you can imagine these problems get a full airing in our house, with strategies to fix them discussed and dissected at practically every meal. I want to tell my boys that it will get sorted shortly, but the truth is the real impact of Covid’s pummelling of the economy won’t be felt for another couple of years when at least another 100,000 New Zealanders have lost their jobs.

I won’t be telling my sons that they are going to inherit a crippling debt that this country will be paying off for two generations unless we act now. They don’t see the problems building thanks to this Government’s ill-informed decision-making, and it’s not their burden to bear. It’s a challenge that’s fallen to us, to everyone who can vote in the election. It’s up to us to make the right decision for our children.

None of us can be blamed for Covid-19, but we do carry a huge responsibility for what happens next. Beating the virus is a task that will probably require our attention for some time to come, and with each outbreak, our ability to combat a resurgence grows. But there is no such learning curve with our economy, once we head down a path that saddles our country with massive debt and a moribund economy it will be too late to rethink our strategies.

There is no stepping back from another three years of getting it wrong. I’m saying this to you as a father and as a person with significant local and international financial experience. Saving our economy depends on much more than staggered lockdowns and temporary wage support. The task in front of us requires cohesive, intelligent and far-sighted strategies backed by world-class thinking. Anything less will fail to bring our economy back from the brink and condemn our children to a poorer future.

Take care, Simon Watts