If i'm to allocate money to a fund manager, they need to have a demonstrable track record of astute capital deployment. I look at government the same way.

Looking at the last Labour government and regardless of ideological stripe, there's no doubt they were simply the worst spenders of public money in the history of NZ. They squandered a unique historical moment (zero interest rates and prior to that, good surpluses) and an absolute majority in their second term, spending was either ephemeral or straight out wasteful, and we have zero long term infrastructure progress to show for it. They were a talentless bunch of student politicians playing at government. "Old school socialists" in the manner of Clark, Cullen etc would have accomplished much more.