Where does Grant Robertson’s exit leave Labour? - The Front Page

Grant Robertson, Labour Party finance spokesman, is retiring from politics. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Labour Party is learning to stand alone without Grant Robertson as the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister retires from politics to take up the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago.

The Herald’s political editor Claire Trevett told The Front Page podcast Robertson’s departure was not unexpected but his experience and political nous is a loss for Labour.

“He loved the politics of it all a lot more than Jacinda Ardern did and he could be very effective at it, his roasts of his rivals in Parliament are pretty famous, and he’s very good in Question Time.

“He knew what he was doing and he’d become a pretty crucial guiding hand for a lot of them, a bit of a spine of that caucus, and now they kind of have to learn to stand alone without him.”

Barbara Edmonds will become Labour’s new finance spokesperson.

Trevett said Edmonds is still a fairly new MP after first getting into Parliament in 2020 and then becoming a Minister in 2023.

“So, she’s had limited time in that job but she is extremely capable and knows pretty well how the place works.

“Like Nicola Willis, the Finance Minister, Barbara has been a ministerial staffer before. She knows how ministerial offices work and how politics works and she’s no shrinking violet.”

Edmonds has previously worked as a tax lawyer which Trevett said would come in handy considering Labour is planning a review of its tax policy and putting a capital gains tax back on the table.

Robertson’s departure would have hit Labour leader Chris Hipkins quite hard, Trevett said.

“It was Grant and Jacinda who more or less told caucus that Hipkins was the best option and both of them have now left.”

Chris Hipkins’ popularity has taken a significant blow since last year’s general election.

A 1News-Verian poll on Monday showed Hipkins has dropped 10 points to 15 per cent in the preferred Prime Minister rankings. Labour’s party vote is steady at 28 per cent.

Trevett said Hipkins was publicly taking solace from Labour’s party vote, arguing that’s what mattered rather than his preferred Prime Minister ranking.

If Hipkins can’t eventually lift the party vote then things could start to heat up, Trevett said.

“I would guess that he’s hoping he can turn things around and still thinks that maybe he can.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Claire Trevett about the legacy Grant Robertson leaves.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Georgina Campbell, a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.