Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison with National Party leader Simon Bridges in Auckland in February 2019. Photo / NZ Herald
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison with National Party leader Simon Bridges in Auckland in February 2019. Photo / NZ Herald
The National Party has called on some help from Australia, flying over one of the brains behind Australian PM Scott Morrison's election win to brief National Party MPs and candidates on the secrets to a winning campaign.
National Party leader Simon Bridges has been open about his plans to emulatesome of Morrison's winning tactics - in particular targeting what Morrison called the "quiet Australians".
Nick Westenberg is the Australian Liberal Party's New South Wales division's deputy campaign director and spoke to National MPs at their caucus retreat in Havelock North on Monday.
"You can use different phrases for it. Scott Morrison uses the quiet Australians, it's working families, previously it was Howard's battlers, Tony's tradies. It always ends up being the same people.
It's the people who aren't on a particular end of the spectrum, the people who are just living their everyday lives where politics impacts it, but it's not the most important thing for them."
Morrison was up against then Labor leader Bill Shorten - who was not popular - and Bridges was up against Ardern, who is popular.
Westenberg said that need not change the way a campaign was run but it did have to be taken into account.
"I think it is still the same voters - those hard-working New Zealanders - and their issues.
"It makes a difference potentially from how it can be sold. Looking at the Labour Party, they are running a one-man band here - it is just Jacinda.
"So they are going to have more of a focus on that.
"Whereas with Shorten, the Labour Party became aware early that Bill had some negative numbers and a bit of an image problem so they tried to play more to their team rather than the one person.
"But the issues don't change no matter who is running."
He said the key to tapping into those "hard-working New Zealanders" was to listen to them and their everyday concerns.
"Listen to what their issues are, what's going on in their life.
"I think sometimes the political class - including the media - want to talk about the matters that interest us.
"But politics is about the people, it's about listening to them. And solving the issues that matter to them. That's really what government is all about."
Westenberg also said while social media was important, it was only one tool in a campaign and good, old legwork remained the most important.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison with National Party leader Simon Bridges in Auckland in February 2019. Photo / NZ Herald
"The most effective thing is still being out there door knocking, being at the train station to talk to people. A lot of people might not want to talk, but accessibility and the fact you made the effort to turn up means a great deal.
Nothing will substitute for local campaigning. Even in the US, where massive amounts are spent on a campaign, they're still out there door knocking."
Westenberg was the brains behind a "scratchie" card during the 2018 Bennelong byelection - in which voters scratched off the box with the Labour candidate to reveal a photo of Shorten or an unpopular Labor Party candidate.
Westenberg said it never hurt to give voters a bit of fun. "It's just a different way of getting your message across. I think people like a bit of creativity and fun, especially in an election campaign where they're being bombarded. Something different works really well."
He said while New Zealand and Australia had different electoral systems, they also have a lot in common. "The issues in Australia for average families are exactly the same as they are here in New Zealand."
He believed National had a chance in 2020 despite Labour leader Jacinda Ardern's strong headstart in the preferred Prime Minister stakes.
He said they were working off a strong base from the 2017 election result, Bridges was talking about the right issues and while those issues might not be exciting to the "political bubble" it would resonate.
