Jim Bolger calls on new National leader to bring ‘new vision’

Former PM and National leader Jim Bolger said the new leader would need to bring a “new vision”.

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger. (Source: 1News)

“The divisions that are occurring in New Zealand now between the unvaccinated and the vaccinated, and we’ve seen the riots in various cities across the world, we’ve got to be very sensitive to the fact that we could divide society, even a New Zealand society,” he told Q+A.

“We want a leader, in the Opposition as well as in Government, we want a leader that can bring people together, that can offer people hope. People thrive on hope, on the hope of a better tomorrow.

“So the new leader, I hope, will be able to articulate a different vision of tomorrow, a better one and don’t look backwards.”

Bolger said a good Opposition should be better than just critiquing.

Watching the National Party go through leaders over the past year and a half, Bolger said it was “disappointing, simply put”.

However, he said he still voted for National at the past election as Labour wasn’t addressing the “big issues” either.

“He (Finance Minister Grant Robertson) talked about a ‘wellbeing budget’ but did damn all about it, I mean, we’ve just got to do more than talk, we’ve got to have policies, we’ve got to spend time articulating a new vision to the voters so they understand what you’re talking about,” Bolger said.