What the hell is Kris Faafoi doing announcing a review of the country's electoral laws right now? 

We are in the middle of a pandemic. 

Right now Auckland has a Delta outbreak that is probably going to spread through New Zealand in the next few months.

Which means God-only-knows-how-long we’re dealing with restrictions and closed businesses.

Are electoral laws really so pressing that Faafoi needs a comprehensive review of the funding of political parties, the voting age and the length of the parliamentary term?

If yesterday’s road map (which was so woeful it felt like it was put together by a lone Beehive staffer after a few drinks on Saturday night) was anything to go by, the Government is already struggling to deal with the crisis at hand, already making things up as it goes.

It hardly needs to add to its workload.  

Already, this government already has announced more reform than any government possibly since Lange and Douglas in the 80s: The Three Waters proposal, the scrapping of DHBs, the immigration reset, a climate change plan potentially so massive it’s being called the biggest economic shakeup since Rogernomics. 

That’s enough, without a pandemic on top as well. 

And then to have this announced by a minister already struggling with the workload? 

The immigration reset alone is beyond Faafoi, he didn’t even turn up to his own keynote speech back in May and he was so bereft of ideas he had to nick the Opposition’s visa plan to have something to announce last week.

The government is stretched. They’ve got too much going on. The few ministers in Cabinet who are capable are run off their feet. The public servants are at capacity with what they can do. 

The government needs to stop announcing things like this just to create the impression that they’re doing something. 

Frankly, I’d be happier if they scrapped all their planned reforms and did nothing but manage the pandemic because that is the most important and pressing problem right now.  And they’re not nailing it. 

Cancel the announcements, focus on the crisis, please.