But let's talk about perhaps the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to democracy: money—secret money. There is, in New Zealand, no limit on political donations that any politician or party can receive. That's shocking to me. That breeds the kind of American-style democracy—so-called democracy—where the highest bidder gets to influence elections and influence policy. That seems wrong. But what's worse is that we have so few rules around transparency here in New Zealand that the public can't know who is taking a stake in our democracy when they vote. Is it big oil stopping climate action? Is it the gun lobby? Is it property investors stopping the capital gains tax, rent controls, and rental warrants of fitness?