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This week Critic would like to welcome the leader of New Zealand’s newest political party to take the stage: Kim Dotcom. I first courted him over Twitter before Easter, and have been in touch with an Internet Party representative ever since. Through a few phone calls and emails, I have been given the impression that the Internet Party Headquarters is a flurry of activity and mysterious events; I was told it was “hard to pin the big man down,” and during the final stages of our correspondence I was told that “something has happened,” and that “I’ll find out soon enough.” You heard it here first, Critic readers: something is happening. In the mean time, have a read of what Kim and the Internet Party have to say.

Over the past few years, the National Party has instituted a number of reforms designed to increase student loan debt repayment, and I myself have criticised them for treating students as commodities. Do you see debt repayment as an issue? How would you approach this?

The student loan system we have in New Zealand is fatally flawed. Once you are done studying, you are indebted for a very long time with a very large amount. Students are essentially starting out in life with a mortgage hanging over them. Students in New Zealand should receive their education – high quality education – for free. Students entering the workforce will contribute for the rest of their working lives, so education is an investment in the future of the country. Today’s students create tomorrow’s opportunities and the Government must support and encourage that.

Students aren’t commodities to be used up and thrown away; students are an asset that must be developed, encouraged and provided with an environment that allows them to flourish. Ensuring education is free to all students is the Internet Party’s top education priority.

A few weeks ago, Critic covered student loan policy, e.g. which parties support universal allowances and the like. What sort of policies would you advocate?

We’re still developing our full education policy and we want students themselves to tell us what they think needs to be done. After all, students know the issues better than anyone. What we do know for certain is that free education for all is non-negotiable.

Almost as serious as what happens to students while they’re in university is what happens to students once they’re out. Are there any specific initiatives you would advocate to help bridge the gap between education and actually getting a job?

This highlights another major problem with the current student loan regime. Too many students, after they have completed their studies, leave New Zealand because there aren’t the jobs that pay well enough for them to pay their loans back. We are creating an environment where all of our bright minds are being exported to other countries. That’s something the Internet Party will change. We will make sure our best and brightest, the innovators and entrepreneurs, want to stay in this country because there is opportunity and encouragement.

We will deliver more innovation, investment and high-tech jobs to New Zealand by fostering homegrown talent. We will double research and development investment and create an economic environment that encourages and rewards those who have great ideas.

How would you pay for the amount of money you’re willing to invest in tertiary education?

The Government spends huge amounts of money on things that it shouldn’t. For example, this Government’s NSA spy network costs many millions of dollars to run. The joint military action with the U.S. in the Middle East could have paid for a lot of education. By shutting those things down, there’s money we can direct into much more important and beneficial areas such as education. In addition, we are in favour of a luxury tax to pay for free education. That’s how we can make a difference.

If you could describe your approach to student policy in three words, what would they be?

Free, smart and high-end.

What do you think is the biggest barrier to student political involvement, and how would you change that?

Too many students have given up, they don’t think they actually have a voice or can make a difference. They can and will. Our approach to politics is about being innovative, challenging the status quo and being different. Most politicians talk “at” students, not “with” them. It’s like the country’s being run by your parents and you’ve been locked out from having a say. We’ll change that by talking with students and young New Zealanders about things that matter to them and in ways that work for them. The Internet Party is all about the youth and how we can take New Zealand into the future with young and fresh ideas.

Our University’s Internet is notoriously shit. Could you fix it?

Of course. We are the experts and we know how to fix the problems. After all, we’re the Internet Party …

Let’s play a game of “reject, (re)elect, realign,” which is Critic’s parliamentary alternative to “shoot, shag, marry,” whereby you choose one of these MPs to boot from Parliament, one to keep (or elect) in, and one who belongs in a different party: Hone Harawira, Clare Curran, Judith Collins.

Reject: Judith Collins
Re-elect: Hone Harawira
Realign: Clare Curran

Would you consider doing a concert at Otago? Re-O Week is coming up …

We’ve got a lot of very cool things planned and we’ll keep you posted.