Perhaps I can be of assistance Trev without you having to wait 3 years…a good predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour–and boy do the Natzos have some form…
• union busting Employment Contracts Act 1991 demolished the decades old National Award System which set a wage floor for workers across the country in most industries and professions, FPAs are set to put that right but Baldrick and Seymour want to repeal
• Mother of all Budgets 1991 MOAB, market rents for state housing, run down of health and education to drive people to private sector, Ruth Richardson’s stab at copying Thatcher and Pinochet, she came very close to mimicking her heroes, and consigned vulnerable NZers to a miserable life for 3 decades
• Creating an artificial power market of generation and supply and handing it to the parasite class. Hydro was literally built and paid for by tax paying working class people.

I need not go on really, but put it this way do you seriously think Bennie bashing, union busting, and shovelling the wealth upstairs, is going to deliver anything for most New Zealanders? Petrol prices are not going down, property prices are going up, immigration is going up–with no plans for corresponding infrastructure increases. And Mr Reti even had the temerity to signal the fully funded new Whangārei hospital build will be on hold if he is Health Minister in a future Govt.! Even a few Northland tories who know the deadly reality of the current crumbing Whangārei Hospital might not agree with Reti’s cowardice.

They certainly will Trevor. It will be interesting to see how their budgets balance.

Capitalists are on a loser here if they push automation to the max–presumably the parasite class still need customers for their products…as do small businesses, owner operators and SMEs.

A basic income for all citizens is supported by the Greens and many others because it preserves some level of disposable income and dignity regardless of employment status, and don’t forget–a hell of a lot of work is unpaid already–caring, domestic duties, internships, ‘always on the clock’ jobs, on call, the precariat generally.

Ideally unnecessary manual and intellectual labour could be done away with so people could live their lives in an interesting and fruitful way, advancing science and society rather than paying off thumping great bank mortgages–but the reality is that until an anti capitalist movement is flourishing, fightback is what the working class has.

Yes a ditch of Ole Rogernomics would be a good start. Hopefully the old Rogernomes are dying out in the party anyway. But this loss may be the impetus see the error of there ways hope so.

Industrial Action —> Increased Automation

Apart from that, people (the lower 50%) are going to have to keep doing what they have been doing–looking after themselves and capacity building in communities–gardens, Patiki Kai, childcare, shared transport etc. Māori have been doing a good job of this up to and including the peak COVID years. Lots are getting into tiny houses and co-ownership deals to get a home underway and get out of mouldy, overpriced rental dumps.

The irony of the Natzos campaign against the poor and working poor will be further reducing purchasing power of those groups, which–doh–will directly impact thousands of small business operators who need customers!
A lot of SME and owner operators side with the filthy tories out of misguided aspiration–they identify with the parasite class even though they have little chance of ever joining the 1%ers or even their 9% enablers.

So, it is fightback time and more workers need to rediscover what “industrial action” means and start sticking it to the man in a disruptive but strategic way. Social media and public campaigns can be run without necessarily having to “pull the pin” and engage in strike action. Some stoppages will definitely be needed though to give Baldrick and Twerker a bit of a slap.