Our parliamentary terms are short – way too short. The government is learning that big time. There is very little change to show for two years in office including this, “the Year of Delivery”.

Things change when you find yourself on the Treasury benches. You go from making as large a media storm as possible about whatever is happening to being the one who must deliver. Governments also have to deal with the old adage that politics is the art of the possible. I can imagine the howls of protest there would have been from the Greens had National left agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme until 2025, but that is what this government has done. It is probably all that is realistically achievable.

Media reports indicate that the number of food parcels being issued by social charities to people who cannot afford to buy sufficient food for their families have continued to increase since the election. We all know what has happened with Kiwibuild, but there are still constant media reports too of continuing housing and poverty associated problems.

While the whole parliamentary term may be three years, Year 3 is an election year. The concentration moves then to ‘getting re-elected’ mode. The reality is that there are but two years to devise, develop, implement and expect to deliver and be able to defend the results as signs of success.

With all the modern day consultation and bureaucratic requirements, it inevitably takes an age to get a policy idea converted into an actually working applied policy. This reality applies to all governments, left led and right led.

Being able to develop, implement and demonstrate the benefits of supposedly exciting new policies to the voting public is challenged by these realities. Take water quality policy for example. Improvements have to be done, but it has taken generations for these issues to arise and it will take years for the improvements to come through.

While an appropriation decision may have been made, we are yet to see the benefits of the additional mental health funding.

Reports of issues in the health sector are regularly published. DHB deficits are now sitting around the $1billion mark. The Health System Review which is reviewing the structure of the health system does not report until early next year. Given that timing, the recommendations will need to take account of an upcoming election, as no party will want to take a bunch of tough but realistic recommendations to the people. This incentivises short-term thinking and a desire to chalk up quick but superficial gains.

For oppositions it’s the reverse. They have no responsibility for delivering policy results so can respond quickly to issues as they arise. There is a natural tendency to scratch every public itch. It is far from deep intellectual stuff.

Everything about society is getting more complex. Solving the problems we face is bound to be challenging and always needs more time. Problems require long term solutions.

The three year term does not serve us well in the modern era.