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National and Labour leaders come out firing – and fed up
Analysis: Both National and Labour’s leaders came across as fed-up on Sunday – but for different reasons.
While Christopher Luxon was annoyed by comparisons to his predecessor Sir John Key, Chris Hipkins went full sweary-bear on both National and the media.
The two Chrises were back in Auckland exactly where they started three years ago but wearing the opposite hat – Luxon now juggling the prime minister role with that of National leader, while Hipkins is doing the reverse.
On Sunday the memories of just how bad the 2023 campaign went for Hipkins, who started it as prime minister and finished it with one of the party’s worst election results to date, were fresher than perhaps even he realised.
Asked by reporters to reflect on what went wrong last time, he sniped: “Oh you’ve been listening to the National Party spin bullshit, and I’d encourage you not to”.
Jo Moir / RNZ
Pressed as to why he didn’t have any momentum on the last campaign – a campaign he’s acknowledged was tough to find a rhythm in – Hipkins fired back angrily: “Yeah we lost and that was quite difficult – we’re going to win this one though.”
Then in response to why voters hadn’t heard about Labour’s public transport fare cap policy and whether the party messaging wasn’t working, Hipkins countered: “It’s probably more of an indictment on all of you people that people aren’t listening to you anymore.”
During his speech to 600-odd Labour supporters gathered at the Due Drop Centre, he looked and sounded like he was finally firing on all cylinders, ready to hit the ground running.
He called “bullshit” on National’s “outright lies” about tax and expressed how “angry” he still is at Luxon over rising prices and the prime minister’s response to it.
By the time he fronted reporters he was angry at everyone and everything, with even some of his MPs flanking him looking down at the ground while he unleashed.
Clearly, he’s had advice from his team around him that he underperformed three years ago and nobody wants a repeat.
It could be a tough ask, however, for Hipkins to keep up that level of intensity through to the election.
And while an aggressive tone might work in a debate environment when he’s going head-to-head with Luxon, he’ll need to soften the rhetoric when engaging with voters on the street.
The full show at Labour was a musical spectacle with a powerful Auckland Secondary Schools Pasifika Choir kicking things off, and the crowd stomping their feet and giving multiple standing ovations throughout Hipkins’ address.
He harked back to the glory days at one point, announcing a student loan policy that would write-off ten percent of debt for some borrowers, and the whole thing for those who have $2000 or less owing.
Helen Clark, the former Labour leader who won her way into government in 2005 with an interest-free student loan policy, sat near the front of the stage on Sunday as Hipkins unveiled his 2026 version.
It’s popular policy and targets key demographics Labour is looking to secure – young people, and those feeling the cost of living crisis the hardest.
National took a different approach, announcing no new policy and instead rolling out for the second campaign launch in a row a pledge card of promises.
As one senior MP told RNZ: “Well if it worked last time, so why do something different.”
RNZ / Calvin Samuel
The pledge card ticked off all the usual National Party stomping grounds of no new taxes, better school results, getting the books in surplus, and better infrastructure.
Where the tried and true fell over for National this year was picking a venue it couldn’t fill with party faithful. who were just a little lacklustre in their shows of support.
Many of the lines in campaign chair Simeon Brown and deputy leader Nicola Willis’ speeches didn’t get the applause they were expecting, and at times pausing for.
While Sir John Key got a hearty dose of rapturous applause, even the cues in Luxon’s speech where he bagged Labour and its coalition mates didn’t get the cheers he might have expected.
The glitzy International Convention Centre was set up to seat 1500 but only two-thirds of that arrived – not that Luxon wanted to engage in a question line about it after the launch.
Nor did he take well to being compared to Sir John and his 2011 campaign speech where the Opposition was barely mentioned.
With just 40 days to go until the election neither Chris has time to reinvent themselves or change the party direction.
For National and Luxon it’s a well-worn ‘no new taxes’ road they’re headed down, clearly convinced that is an underlying concern enough New Zealanders hold to see National return to power.
For Labour and Hipkins it’s a new path of ‘fight, fight, fight’.
The big National Party machine has thrown everything at Labour, trying to undermine its message of just one new capital gains tax.
Hipkins put the boxing gloves on at the weekend and officially started to punch back.
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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