Support for Labour on Levin visit

Labour leader Andrew Little, and co-leader Jacinda Ardern. WGP 02Aug17 - LVN020817sblittleardern

In the rundown to the general election, political candidates are out in force around the country.
Labour's campaign stopped in at Levin on Friday, ahead of Andrew Little's shock resignation announcement on Tuesday, citing low poll results.
A public meeting drew more than 300 people to hear Little (pictured above left), and co-leader Jacinda Ardern (right) speak about Labour's policies. Ms Ardern has now been elected unopposed as the new leader of the party.
Despite the leadership change and a polling low-point for Labour, there is still plenty of grassroots support for the party if Friday's rapturous reception in Levin was anything to go by.
Sadie Beckman caught up with Andrew Little before he took to the podium to find out what Labour's views are about some of Horowhenua's big issues.

What do you think about the recent decision on the part of Horowhenua District Council to sell off its pensioner housing stock?

We certainly don't support pensioner housing going into private hands. I notice that the purchaser is not just a charity. There's a corporate interest sitting behind it. We've got a massive shortage of housing, including social housing at the moment. There are other councils that have held onto and are doing a great job with their social housing. We need every council to be holding onto it.

What will Labour do about the pollution levels in New Zealand's waterways? In Horowhenua there are issues with contaminated waterways. What concrete plan can you offer to address this?

We would set a water quality standard for rivers and waterways of "swimmable" and then embark on the extensive cleanup exercise that is needed. We would partly fund that through a levy on water bottling companies. We expect it will take a generation. We've got to come at it from the point of view that no one has a right to pollute. The increasing of herd [numbers] and intensification of dairy farming is causing damage to our waterways, and that's got to stop.
You must be able to swim in your local river, and put your head under, without getting sick.

Horowhenua has a large number of people, including children, living below the poverty line or in dire circumstances. In New Zealand, many are homeless. What measures will Labour take to address this, and when?

Our commitment is to build more houses. On income issues, we will lift the minimum wage pretty much straight away to $16.50, and then work out a path of increases in the following three years. Our changes to Working For Families will make it easier on families with children, we will introduce for families with a new baby [a] payment of $60 a week. For that first year it will be universal, and then for two years following it'll be highly targeted so lower income families can expect that payment to continue while they've got a young baby.
So a number of initiatives will alleviate the number of families living below the poverty line.
For those on the main benefit, as well as superannuitants, we'll have our winter energy payment [of] up to $700 a year.
If we're elected, the changes to Working For Families will take effect from April 1 next year [and] extra funding for social services would be at least part way through next year.
The one thing we're not going to do is the tax cut the government introduced. We don't think a tax plan that puts $400 million into the pockets of the top 10 per cent of earners is at all justified.

What will Labour do to address the increasing distance between wages and the cost of living?

Our employment relation policy includes supporting the Fair Pay Agreement that sets some industry minimums. People will be able have some certainty about pay.
There's no question that we recognise that pay is too low for too many workers in New Zealand. Last year, two thirds of wage and salary earners got pay increases that were less than the rate of inflation ... incomes went backwards.
We all have to work and find ways to keep public pressure on wages so that people's pays are at least keeping pace with the cost of living.

What about adjusting GST or removing it from certain food items?

We decided not to proceed with that. Implementing a cut in GST doesn't necessarily reduce prices, because distributors and retailers say 'we're going to add to our margin' and hey presto, there's no change in price. I think the real challenge is lifting wages and incomes in New Zealand.

Horowhenua's mayor has cited a lack of support for council leadership issues from central government. What will Labour do to support local government?

The comment I've made to LGNZ is that we want a cooperative, partnership relationship between central government and local government. We want [them] complementing each other ... and not running down each other. In terms of the type of conflict that appears to be the case in the Horowhenua district - in the end, the mayor is duly elected by people so he's got to have the authority of the mayor, but likewise, the chief executive is the most senior employee of the council and has got to be managed accordingly in a way that is respectful of the [his] rights.
Where central government passes a law that has an impact on local government, we want to make sure we don't do that without understanding what the implications are. We're keen to work with local governments to find ways they can develop revenue streams that are not about getting more out of ratepayers.

I've heard from some Labour voters recently that there isn't enough clarity on your policies. What is your comment on that?

We've been very clear on what our priorities are. They're about a roof over people's heads - building more houses, and for renters, making sure they have certainty and minimum standards. That includes getting speculators out of the market who are driving up rent. When it comes to health services, [it's] making sure hospitals and GP are properly funded - we've got far too many people missing out on healthcare. Health is a major priority.
In education - [it's] making sure that schools are funded properly to do their job. Schools and teachers have to be supported.
And [it's about] jobs for young people - we've got 90,000 young people who are not in jobs, education or training, and that's criminal. It is a priority for us.
I don't think anyone will be in any doubt about what our priority areas are - I call them restoring the foundations for New Zealand. There's no point claiming we've got economic success, when we've got the kind of problems we have.