John McDonald, editor of CityWatch NZ, argues that proposed road pricing laws would not just add new charges for drivers but fundamentally change the balance of freedom and government control in New Zealand.
He warns that “governments will likely attempt to take away your rights and then sell them back to you as privileges,” turning the right to travel freely into a conditional, state-managed activity.
He describes congestion charging as a move to “effectively turn existing public roads into toll roads,” backed by expanded surveillance using number plate recognition and GPS tracking.
McDonald outlines six major objections: increased taxes and fines; breaking the current ‘social contract’ that protects untolled access to existing roads; expensive, wasteful setup costs; the use of gradualism to lower public resistance; the potential for ideological social engineering; and the creation of surveillance systems vulnerable to abuse.
McDonald says the Government’s strategy is to “start small, simple, and with low charges” before expanding restrictions, describing this approach as “the thin edge of the wedge.”
“Schemes should be stopped before the Government and councils sink hundreds of millions of dollars into installing surveillance systems,” he writes, calling for public pressure ahead of Parliament’s next vote and the 2025 local elections.
Centrist.co.nz