At the last election, I was on holiday in Edinburgh. I woke up to the results: the Government was changing.
I walked for eight hours straight that day, listening to RNZ presenters burning the midnight oil as I felt grief under a rising Scottish sun.
A lot of the climate work I'd cared about was probably going to be thrown out the window as the halls of power came under new management. Oh, how little I knew.
It's been tough to watch National, ACT, and New Zealand First shred nearly everything our country has done to address climate change and get us off fossil fuels. With petrol at $3.59 a litre and a dangerously hot summer staring us down, it's clear how short-sighted this was.
But I don't want to dwell too long on their misdeeds, because right now is about feeling inspired to change course. To take a different path.
This path is far brighter, far kinder.
It's a path which helps New Zealanders enjoy affordable energy. Every family with a car would be able to charge up at night like they do with their phone. Boundless energy from the sun would be collected from their rooftops and cut their bills for good. Dreading the price at the petrol pump would be a thing of the past.
It's a path where we transform transport in our towns and cities. Instead of promising $56 billion on gold-plated motorways, everyone could get around easily by bus or train. Biking your kids to school would be normal and safe. Wellington would be connected by beautiful streets, free from fumes and filled with quality buses and trams.
It's a path where our kai doesn't cost the earth. New Zealand's farmers would be encouraged to cut pollution. Farms would adopt efficient fertiliser, boost yields, and reforest land. We'd have healthier, climate-friendly diets that help us live longer.
It's a path where we protect people from the coming disruption. We'd prepare for the inevitable effects of the warming already baked in. Our streets would grow trees to catch the deluge of stormwater, and our pavements would become permeable. People would be supported out of zones prone to disaster.
This path cuts the cost of living. It connects us to our loved ones and our communities. It sets us up to be a powerhouse for the future of food. It is compassionate when bad things happen. And it doesn't leave people behind.
Of course, getting to this future takes a long time. We can only vote to take the next step along this track.
And with that in mind, I've got three bottom-line policies that are informing who I cast my vote for come 7 November.
Clean energy
I will only consider voting for candidates and parties who will get us off fossil fuels.
Quite a few parties have good policies for helping New Zealanders afford solar, including National.
However, National wants an LNG terminal when renewables would be better. The whole Coalition wants more oil and gas exploration. That's a deal-breaker.
Less car dependency, more transport choice
I want to see a true commitment to expanding public transport.
National and ACT's focus on highway expansion is not what we need.
Despite Labour's admirable public transport fare cap, their choice to freeze fuel taxes would starve the very fund that delivers public transport, and they haven't got a specific commitment to improve public transport services.
Opportunity wants to make public transport free and buses electric, but doesn’t have a specific plan to improve public transport services.
The Green Party has the best plan to make buses, trains, walking, and biking awesome for everyone. More funding for more services in towns, regions, and cities. Plus, light rail in Wellington.
Putting a price on farming pollution
There's a price on polluting for every part of the economy except agriculture. Adding a cost to carbon pollution would encourage farmers to adopt carbon-cutting technologies.
Opportunity wants to explore a price, and the Green Party has committed to implementing one.
National campaigned on one last election, but broke that promise in Government. The Coalition parties are campaigning to keep farming pollution price-free.
Labour, unfortunately, isn't campaigning on pricing farming pollution. That’s despite Jacinda Ardern striving for New Zealand to be the first country in the world to deal with farming’s role in climate change.
The election is on a knife-edge. There's a chance New Zealand will stay hooked on expensive fossil fuels. We may be left waiting longer for trains across the country. We could lose our farming edge. People could be left vulnerable to disruption.
But I choose to vote instead for cheap, clean energy. For kickass buses, trains, and bike lanes. For incentivising farmers to lead the world in cutting pollution.
I'm inspired to change course, and I hope you are too.
Elections are a precious thing. So go out and vote.
