Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is questioned on recent poll results.
Video / Mark Mitchell
Editorial
Labour will be feeling very chipper with where it is riding in the polls and the court of public opinion. The party hasn’t put a foot wrong for a long time.
The best thing is, Labour hasn’t had to do a great deal to see its political ratings increaseand the Government’s ratings nose-dive.
Chris Hipkins is looking more comfortable as leader, as the Government scores a few own goals, most notably that of Andrew Bayley, who fell on his sword, this time for putting his hands on a staffer, and resigned as a minister. He can’t help but make the headlines, for all the wrong reasons.
Plus, there appears to be this need by the minor coalition parties to almost embarrass Christopher Luxon, although the Prime Minister also seems capable of managing that himself, if you heard or read the debacle with Mike Hosking.
The last few polls have been trending well for the left-leaning political parties - Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, and will continue while Act leader David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill continues to swirl around the landscape.
While many of the Labour-Green-Te Pāti Māori policies are poles apart, if an opportunity presents itself next year to form a government, then just as with National,Act and NZ First there will be deals involved.
Last week Labour unveiled its new look political line-up and the party has taken stock of what happened in election 2023.
Barbara Edmonds has control of the difficult finance portfolios for Labour.
Mum-of-eight Barbara Edmonds has the difficult finance role. Before entering Parliament, Edmonds was a tax lawyer. She has had interesting debates with her National counterpart Nicola Willis in Parliament, as the Government’s tactic of blaming everything fiscally wrong on the previous government wears thin.
Edmonds will lead a new Labour team focused on the economy.
“I‘ve tasked Barbara with making sure we’re ready to balance the books, increase our savings, expand our investment opportunities, and create the economic conditions for all Kiwis to thrive,” Hipkins said at his state of the nation speech last week.
The Government claims the move is rearranging the deck chairs but Labour is not at the helm just yet.
Edmonds will have support from: Ginny Andersen jobs and incomes; Peeni Henare, economic development; Reuben Davidson, science, technology and creative economy; and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, Māori economy.
Tangaere-Manuel and Davidson are new faces in Labour’s line-up.
Labour’s Willie Jackson is told to leave the House after calling David Seymour a ‘liar’ as debate over Treaty Principles Bill rages on November 14, 2024. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Plus, the move to slot Willie Jackson, five on the Labour list, into social development makes good sense. Jackson, through his work with unions and then urban Māori, knows the social development portfolio intimately and will be looking to upstage Louise Upston at every opportunity.
The Labour list from one to 34 looks refreshed, fresh-faced and ready for action. Bring it on.
