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Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Opinion

Labour's first 100 days - local MPs give their verdict

Zoe Hunter
By Zoe Hunter
Bay of Plenty Times·
2 Feb, 2018 11:00 PM5 mins to read

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Local Labour MPs Jan Tinetti and Angie Warren-Clark check in after 100 days in Government. Photo/File
Local Labour MPs Jan Tinetti and Angie Warren-Clark check in after 100 days in Government. Photo/File

Local Labour MPs Jan Tinetti and Angie Warren-Clark check in after 100 days in Government. Photo/File

Zoe Hunter
Opinion by Zoe HunterLearn more

KEY POINTS:

  • Labour MPs happy with first 100 days - Opposition dubious about real progress

New Zealand First and Labour local MPs say the parties have achieved everything they set out to in an "outstanding" first 100 days as the new Government.

But Opposition MPs label the country's new leadership "weak" and "disappointing" so far.

Today, February 3, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labour and New Zealand First Government has had exactly 100 days in power.

Tauranga's Labour MP Jan Tinetti said the party had achieved everything it had set out to do since the announcement of the new Government.

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"That is outstanding and a good nod towards the coalition Government," Tinetti said.

Tinetti said the only downside was how rushed the party had been to achieve its goals, but it was not intending to slow down.

"We are going to keep going full steam ahead," she said.

Tinetti said the Education (National Education and Learning Priorities) Amendment Bill passed its first reading in Parliament on Thursday, which would start to return mana [honour] to the teaching profession.

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For Tinetti, it had been a "really tough" but rewarding experience as a first-time MP and former principal of Merivale School.

"But I have learned how much influence I now have in the areas and for the people and how much of a difference I can make at that bigger level."

Labour's Angie Warren-Clark said the party had started off with a "hiss and a roar".

The Bay of Plenty Labour MP said the Families Package included a Winter Energy Payment for low-income earners and superannuants.

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"It is putting more money into people's hands to stay warm in winter, which is going to reduce our hospitalisation," Warren-Clark said.

"Our elderly are really suffering. It is not fair in the later years that they have to make the choice to turn on their heater or eat."

Warren-Clark was late to the party this year but said she already had two members bills pulled from the ballot in the first 100 days - the Crimes (Offence of Blasphemous Libel) Amendment Bill and the Sentencing (Domestic Violence) Amendment Bill.

New Zealand First Tauranga MP Clayton Mitchell said the work over the first three years "and hopefully beyond that" is what counted.

Mitchell had been proud to be involved in working through and bringing in some of the party's policies, including increasing the minimum wage and establishing the Tax Working Group.

He said the party's $1 billion a year "Regional Development (Provincial Growth) Fund would benefit the Bay of Plenty and the target of planting 1 billion trees in 10 years was a work in progress but "hugely exciting".

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National's Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said the new Government had been "weak".

"There have been lots of working groups, commissions and workshops being established but very little action," Muller said.

"Most of the legislation that has been passed was National's legislation that was already waiting to be passed," Muller said.

National's Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said it had been a disappointing Government so far with most of the party's policies "back-flipping" on what they had campaigned for.

"A lot of it has been PR spin rather than what they had campaigned on, prior election. Real action makes a difference," he said.

Bridges said the real test for the Government was yet to come.

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"We will see whether they have got a real driving agenda or - and I suspect it will be the case - whether they will be like a boat drifting out to sea without their helmsman."

The Tauranga MP did say the party's enquiry into historic child abuse was positive, but the enquiry needed to be backed with an action plan.

100-day progress - deadline today

1. Make the first year of tertiary education or training fees free from January 1, 2018.
Done

2. Increase student allowances and living cost loans by $50 a week from January 1, 2018.
Done

3. Pass the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill, setting minimum standards for all rentals.
Done

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4. Pass law banning overseas speculators from buying existing houses.
First reading done

5. Issue an instruction to Housing New Zealand to stop selling off state houses.
Done

6. Begin work to establish the Affordable Housing Authority and begin the KiwiBuild programme.
Done

7. Legislate to pass the Families Package, including the Winter Fuel Payment, Best Start and increases to Paid Parental Leave, to take effect from July 1, 2018.
Done

8. Set up a ministerial inquiry into mental health crisis.
Done

9. Introduce legislation to make medicinal cannabis available for people with terminal illnesses or in chronic pain.
Done

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10. Resume contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.
Done

11. Introduce legislation to set a child poverty reduction target and to change the Public Finance Act so the Budget reports progress on reducing child poverty.
Done

12. Increase the minimum wage to $16.50 an hour, to take effect from April 1, 2018, and introduce legislation to improve fairness in the workplace.
Done

13. Establish the Tax Working Group.
Done

14. Establish the Pike River Recovery Agency and assign a responsible minister.
Done

15. Set up an inquiry into the abuse of children in state care.
Done

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16. Hold a Clean Waters Summit on cleaning up rivers and lakes.
Scrapped. It was to have been part of a consultation over a water tax that was scrapped during coalition talks with NZ First. Replaced with introduction of Electoral Integrity Amendment Bill, which has been done

17. Set the zero carbon emissions goal and begin setting up an independent Climate Commission.
Done

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