/news/vote-2020/rss 九一星空无限 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 09:09:35 Z en /news/vote-2020/national-caucus-reshuffle-judith-collins-promotes-michael-woodhouse-demotes-paul-goldsmith/ /news/vote-2020/national-caucus-reshuffle-judith-collins-promotes-michael-woodhouse-demotes-paul-goldsmith/ Judith Collins has promoted Michael Woodhouse to be her finance spokesman after Simon Bridges rejected the position because of Collins' plan to split the usual finance portfolio into two roles. Collins has this afternoon unveiled her caucus reshuffle flanked by Woodhouse, new deputy leader Shane Reti and new number 5 Louise Upston. The top 10 consists of seven men and three women. It has seen Bridges kept down the rankings, Andrew Bayly put at number 3 and former leader Todd Muller number 19. Bayley, a Collins loyalist and chartered accountant, will be the shadow treasurer and take on the infrastructure and statistics portfolios. Collins said the role was similar to the arrangement in Australia and he would work closely with Woodhouse in finance. She they would "be a powerhouse in my opinion". It is understood Bridges was initially offered the finance role, but turned it down because he did not think Collins' decision to split the portfolio into two roles would work. The move has cost him a spot in the top five with Collins ranking him at number 7 and giving him justice, water, Pike River re-entry and Maori-Crown relations. When asked why Bridges wasn't given foreign affairs, Collins said: "These are decisions that I make". She refused to discuss whether she offered Bridges finance. Former finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith has been given education and has dropped down the rankings to number 12. The finance portfolio has been held by Paul Goldsmith but it is thought he lost it after the $4 billion "fiscal hole" error in National's plan during the election campaign. Collins said Goldsmith was "absolutely very keen" to get into education, when asked why he was only given one portfolio. Muller has also dropped down the list and has been given trade and export growth and internal affairs. As well as finance, Woodhouse has been given transport and is deputy shadow leader of the House. Louise Upston has held onto social development and is number 5. Collins has taken National Security and Intelligence, pacific peoples as well as technology while deputy Shane Reti will retain health and will take on the children portfolio. Mark Mitchell has been ranked number 13 and will hold the public service, SOEs and sports and recreation portfolios. Collins said all of the new five MPs were all given a role and they were given a chance to show what they could do and she had to treat them all equally, when asked about former Air NZ boss Christopher Luxon. She said "I hope so" when asked whether she thought the reshuffle had cauterised the dissent in the caucus. MPs react Bayley said he had a "great deal of respect" for Finance Minister Grant Robertson and it was "part of the job" to go up against him in the House. Collins said Nicola Willis, now number 16, was very capable in the housing portfolio and said in order for people to go up in the rankings, some people had to go down and said both she and Willis weren't that concerned about the rankings. Reti said the children portfolio would look at Oranga Tamariki. Upston said a big part of the focus of social investment would be how to get more New Zealanders get back into work - not raising benefits. Split role The Herald's Claire Trevett revealed this week that Collins was considering carving up the finance role between former leader Bridges and Andrew Bayley. The arrangement was likely to be loosely modelled on the Treasurer and Finance Minister split which is used in Australia, and had a brief appearance in New Zealand during the National/NZ First government of 1996 when Bill Birch was Minister of Finance and Winston Peters was Treasurer. Typically, the Treasurer is responsible for overall fiscal policy while the Finance Minister is in charge of matters such as tax and revenue. Collins was tight-lipped about the reshuffle yesterday after being re-elected as leader, with Reti installed as deputy. She would only confirm Reti would be keeping the health portfolio but said she would be looking to reward "talent, hard work and loyalty to the party" and promised it would be "surprising". After National's disastrous election result, which saw it win just 25.6 per cent of the vote, the size of the party's caucus was dramatically reduced from 55 MPs last term to just 33 this time. Tue, 10 Nov 2020 23:39:12 Z /news/vote-2020/nationals-caucus-elects-shane-reti-as-its-deputy-leader/ /news/vote-2020/nationals-caucus-elects-shane-reti-as-its-deputy-leader/ Shane Reti has been elected as National's deputy leader. He was selected by his caucus after a nearly two hour long meeting. MPs have just emerged from that meeting and National leader Judith Collins will front a media stand up with Reti this afternoon. Gerry Brownlee announced last week he would not seek reappointment as the deputy leader. Speaking to media before the caucus meeting, Collins would not say who was tipping to be her deputy. "I believe the caucus is very happy with what I've been doing – but also the party needs stability and it needs to move on." According to the party's constitution, the caucus votes on the leadership after every election. Reti – or Dr Shane as Collins referred to him during the campaign – shares a rather bleak commonality with Brownlee: they both lost usually safe National seats this election. On election night, it looked as if Reti had just scrapped in in Whangarei, with the preliminary results showing a margin of 164 votes. But after the specials were counted, Reti had lost by 431 – the closest margin this election - to Labour's Emily Henderson. This is a far cry from the 13,169 margin he won when he first entered Parliament in 2014. Brownlee lost the Ilam seat which he had held since the seat was created in 1996. Reti, 57, had more or less kept his head down between then and earlier this year and didn't' have much if a national profile until Covid-19 hit New Zealand's shores. Even then, he took a back seat to National's then health spokesman Michael Woodhouse before being promoted in Collins first re-shuffle. After that, he was one of National's main players. He went from number 31 on Simon Bridges' list, to 17 under Todd Muller's leadership, soon after being bumped up to 13 in another Muller reshuffle, before being catapulted to number 5 under Collins. Reti used his medical background to take the Government to task over its Covid-19 performance and to challenge Health Minister Chris Hipkins over the decisions he made. His approach in the House was more clinical than political. Speaking to the Herald a few months ago, he said his role was the two Cs: "To critique and to collaborate". Having studied at Auckland medical school, Reti practised medicine in Whangarei for 16 years and served for three terms on the Northland District Health Board. He then worked in the United States for seven years, becoming a Harkness Fellow at the Harvard Medical School and worked in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, a teaching hospital for Harvard. In his maiden speech, he said he had been born into a statehouse, the eldest of five children in a working-class Maori family whose father had left school at 14 and mother had left school at 15. He described an important event in his childhood that he said had shaped his attitude to life, including an example of institutional racism. "In my student years I would usually study during the day and at night commercial clean with dad, vacuuming floors, cleaning toilets, and dusting blinds," he said. "One year I asked the administrator whether I could sit not five subjects but six subjects, like all my friends were. I remember the reply: 'No, Shane. You're a Māori boy. You'll do five.'" He said his internal response was a call to arms – "Right. I will show you." His external response was to win the English prize that year. "No, not for me six subjects. I was still allowed to sit only five. But many years later, when I was promoted to assistant professor at Harvard, I think I made my point," he told MPs at the time. "I won, but many Māori do not. The educational aspirations of Maori must never ever be bound by the preconceptions of others." Mon, 09 Nov 2020 23:45:29 Z /news/vote-2020/election-2020-the-five-fascinating-election-special-vote-facts-you-might-have-missed/ /news/vote-2020/election-2020-the-five-fascinating-election-special-vote-facts-you-might-have-missed/ The special votes in New Zealand's election have always had the potential to be a bit of a wildcard – this election was certainly no exception. They were good news for the likes of the Māori Party and Labour, which both brought in new MPs. But they were bad news for National, which saw three seats flipped to Labour and the party losing two of its MPs. The specials also notably reduced the gap between the "yes" and the "no" vote on the cannabis referendum, but ultimately didn't flip the overall no result. But the influx of votes not counted on election day also tells a number of other stories which many people might have missed. Here are five fascinating facts about the special votes. 1) The election result got worse for National The final count meant National's total vote dropped from 26.8 per cent to 25.6 per cent – which is the party's second-worst defeat in its history. Even before the specials were counted, National has lost the party vote in almost every electorate in the country. There were only four seats in the country where more people gave National their party vote than they did Labour: Taranaki-King Country, Waikato, Tāmaki and Epsom. But after the specials were counted, National's lead in three of those seats slipped behind Labour, meaning when the election dust had settled, there was only one seat in the country where National had more party votes than Labour – Epsom. The final margin in that electorate was less than 600. National leader Judith Collins campaigning in Auckland. Photo / Jason Walls 2) Māori electorate special votes show overwhelming support for the legalisation of cannabis There was a clear majority of people voting in New Zealand's seven Māori seats that thought the use of recreational cannabis should be legalised – much higher than most other electorates in the country. Of the special votes, the average percentage of "yes" votes was almost 79 per cent – that's well above the national average across non- Māori seats, which was just over 58 per cent, according to the special votes. At 82 per cent, Te Tai Tonga had the highest percentage of "yes" voters, followed by Te Tai Hauāuru which had 80 per cent. Again looking at the non- Māori seats, Takanini had the lowest percentage of "yes" voters in the specials, with 42 per cent. As data from the electoral commission lumps the Māori electoral results in with the geographic non- Māori electorates for the non-special votes (for example, Auckland Central and Tāmaki Makaurau were counted together) a breakdown of how these numbers compare to the total vote is not able to be done accurately. Māori Party MP and co-leader Rawiri Waititi in Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell 3) David Seymour likely lost National Whangārei Midway through the campaign, Act pulled a fast one. The party ran David Seymour as a candidate in Whangārei – not David Seymour the party leader, but another man with the same name. Senior Act party officials believe running someone with the same name as their leader in the seat might have confused a number of would-be Act voters to give their electorate vote, as well as their party vote, to Act. The result? The Seymour running in Whangārei received 2153 votes – the fourth-highest any Act candidate, including leader Seymour, received and much high than the majority of Act candidates across the country. After the specials were counted, Reti lost the seat by 431 votes. 4) Greens overtake Act as the third-biggest political party It's fair to say Act had a meteoric rise this election. The party went from having just one MP in Parliament to having 10. There are a number of things that contributed to Act success in this election. But the main reason is most likely because National did poorly. Ahead of the 2017 election when Labour was polling in the mid to low 20s, the Greens saw a surge in support and at one point were polling at 15 per cent. It's a similar story with Act this election: it appeared picked up support from unhappy National voters who still wanted to place a right-wing vote. On election night, Act won 8 per cent of the total vote ahead of the Greens with 7.6 per cent. But after the special votes were counted, the Greens gained 0.3 percentage points, while Act dropped 0.4. That means at 7.9 per cent, the Greens are New Zealand's third-biggest political party. Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Michael Craig 5) Jacinda Ardern is officially New Zealand's most popular MP … but only just Believe it or not, on election night Jacinda Ardern wasn't New Zealand's most popular MP. She was pipped by her then-Health Minister Chris Hipkins, who won 24,911 votes in the Remutaka electorate. Ardern was second, winning 16,577, although Remutaka is a bigger electorate than Ardern's Mt Albert. But when the special votes were tallied up, Ardern had pushed Hipkins off his throne - just. The final count shows Ardern won 29,238 votes in Mt Albert compared to Hipkins' 29,217 – a 21-vote margin. Sun, 08 Nov 2020 23:37:13 Z /news/vote-2020/gap-closes-on-cannabis-referendum-but-it-still-fails/ /news/vote-2020/gap-closes-on-cannabis-referendum-but-it-still-fails/ The final results of the 2020 election today have delivered a blunt blow to Kiwis hopeful of legalising cannabis for personal use. However, the gap between those voting for and against the reform around cannabis shrunk 2.4 per cent following the recount and addition of special votes. Of the 2,908,071 total votes received, 48.4 per cent supported the proposed cannabis legislation and control bill and 50.7 per cent opposed. The preliminary referendum results showed 46.1 per cent voted for legalised cannabis, compared to 53.1 per cent against. It comes as the final results also show National has lost two seats, Labour has gained one, the Māori Party is back with two seats. The incoming Government will still look to improve the current health-based approach to drug law reform. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that some of the issues legalisation sought to address - including referring cannabis users to health services rather than the justice system - will be looked at regardless of the referendum result. Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick, who cemented her seat today, says they always knew the results would be close and they are proud to have run "an evidence-based campaign for a harm-reduction approach". "Despite the result, we're really glad to have sparked a conversation about the need for fit-for-purpose drug laws in New Zealand," Swarbrick says. "As a country, we've come so far in understanding the need to reduce the harm of drugs by bringing them out of the shadows, and I remain committed to working for a drug harm reduction approach to drugs in the future." Meanwhile, the final referendum results for supporting the End of Life Choice Bill is 65.1 per cent (down 0.1 per cent). The final results - which include 504,625 special votes, or 17 per cent of the total - will not change the parliamentary majority that Labour holds or the Labour-Greens cooperation agreement that has already been signed. But they determine the number of each parties' MPs in Parliament. The provisional results three weeks ago were: Labour on 49.1 per cent (64 seats), National on 26.8 per cent (35 seats), Act on 8 per cent (10 seats), the Greens on 7.6 per cent (10 seats), and the Māori Party with the seat of Waiariki. The final results have Labour on 50 per cent (65 seats), National on 25.6 per cent (33 seats), Act on 7.6 per cent (10 seats), the Greens on 7.9 per cent (10 seats), and the Māori Party with 1.2 per cent (two seats). Fri, 06 Nov 2020 01:52:23 Z /news/vote-2020/official-new-zealand-election-results-national-loses-two-seats/ /news/vote-2020/official-new-zealand-election-results-national-loses-two-seats/ The final election results are in and National has lost two seats, Labour has gained one, the Māori Party is back with two seats and the "yes" campaign on recreational cannabis has lost by a tiny margin. The Electoral Commission released the results of the 2020 election today, confirming that Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi has won Waiariki over Labour's Tamati Coffey, who will still be in Parliament as a list MP. Maori Party and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi. Photo / Mark Mitchell But with an increase from 1 per cent to 1.2 per cent of the party vote, Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer will enter Parliament as a list MP. Three seats have changed hands since the provisional results: Labour's Priyanca Radhakrishnan has won Maungakiekie over National's Denise Lee, Labour's Willow-Jean Prime has won Northland over National's Matt King, and Labour's Emily Henderson has won Whangārei over National's Shane Reti. Reti will remain in Parliament as a list MP, but Lee and King are out of Parliament pending any recounts. Their electorate losses and list positions mean that Maureen Pugh - who already started packing up her office in anticipation of losing her seat - keeps her place as a National list MP. Northland is now the country's most marginal seat, with a 163 vote margin, and King said on Facebook that he will seek a recount. Applications for any recounts have to be filed with a District Court by November 11. Henderson is Labour's new MP, while Green MP Chloe Swarbrick has held on to Auckland Central. The final results - which include 504,625 special votes, or 17 per cent of the total - will not change the parliamentary majority that Labour holds, or the Labour-Greens cooperation agreement that has already been signed. But they determine the number of each parties' MPs in Parliament. The provisional results three weeks ago were: Labour on 49.1 per cent (64 seats), National on 26.8 per cent (35 seats), Act on 8 per cent (10 seats), the Greens on 7.6 per cent (10 seats), and the Māori Party with the seat of Waiariki. The final results have Labour on 50 per cent (65 seats), National on 25.6 per cent (33 seats), Act on 7.6 per cent (10 seats), the Greens on 7.9 per cent (10 seats), and the Māori Party with 1.2 per cent (two seats). The final referendum results are 65.1 per cent (down 0.1 per cent) supporting the End of Life Choice Bill in the euthanasia vote, and 50.7 per cent (down from 53.1 per cent) voting against legalising recreational cannabis. Just 67,662 votes separated the cannabis vote. Maori Party: 'The Māori waka is back on the water' Waititi, who has taken over from John Tamihere as party co-leader, said he was humbled and excited. He acknowledged Coffey "for an outstanding campaign and for his service to Waiariki over the past three years". "We can now confirm that the Māori waka is back on the water and the next three years will be focused on building our movement together to ensure that my six other mates are on that waka with me come 2023," Waititi said. "I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty alongside Debbie, getting to know the electorate better and more importantly understanding how I can advocate for their needs and their aspirations." He said he would immediately contact party leaders to discuss "potential working relationships centered on the advancement of Māori". National MP Shane Reti. Photo / Mark Mitchell Willow-Jean Prime: "I can't believe it"; National MP to contest result Northland's new MP Willow Jean Prime was ecstatic after hearing the news she had taken the electorate - the first time Labour has done so since 1938. "I was shaking when I found out. I can't believe it. It is a dream come true." Prime was well aware of the 82-year gap since Labour had won an earlier iteration of the electorate. The seat of Bay of Islands was won by teacher and trade unionist Charles Boswell for a single, extended, war-time term. "I am humbled so many people voted for me," said Prime, who edged out sitting MP Matt King by 163 votes after special votes were counted. The final tally had Prime on 17,066 votes and King on 16,903. "I had always tried to be the best voice and representative for Northland in Parliament whether I'm a list or electorate MP. "I knew when I put my hand up in 2014 it was going to be one hell of a battle in such a safe blue seat. It's been a roller coaster ride with so many twists and turns. I will continue to do the best I can for Northland." King, in a Facebook post, congratulated Prime on a close race. "But this race is still far too close to call. Northland deserves every vote to be scrutinised to ensure that however close the result may be, that it is an exact account. "For this reason, I will be requesting a judicial recount. With such a close result, it is only fair that we double-check the results for the people of Northland." Henderson, the new Whangārei MP, is a lawyer in the practice founded by her father. Her work includes the family court as well as negotiating criminal justice reforms both in New Zealand and internationally. National's Denise Lee unsure of next step Lee, who is now out of Parliament, said she hadn't thought about what she will do now and she needed time to process the result. "It's not the result I wanted. At the end of the day, politics can be tough and you live with the result." But she said the disappointing result does not mean that her journey "wasn't any less special and something I have thoroughly enjoyed". Lee sent an email to her caucus colleagues in the lead up to polling day that criticised leader Judith Collins and was leaked to media. It led to days of coverage focused on the internal issues in the National Party, but Lee wouldn't be drawn on whether it had contributed to her losing the seat. But she acknowledged Priyanca Radhakrishnan, the MP who won the Maungakiekie seat. "She is inheriting a fantastic bunch of people in an area that is the most beautiful, most hardworking, most diverse [area]." It had been a privilege to represent the electorate, Lee said. Greens overtake Act The final result pushes the Greens ahead of Act as Parliament's third largest party, even though they both have 10 seats. "We're incredibly excited to confirm our outstanding success this election," Green co-leader Marama Davidson said. "Today's announcement of the final vote count confirms that we have increased our party Vote to 7.9 per cent, meaning we will have three talented new Green MPs joining us this term as part of the third biggest party in Parliament." Swarbrick's win in Auckland Central has been widened to a 1068-vote margin. "I am so honoured to have the privilege of representing our home and communities," Swarbrick said. "I'm very excited to get stuck in to the issues that matter for the people of Auckland Central, including a strategy to end homelessness – working with new Minister Davidson – alongside protecting the Hauraki Gulf, championing sustainable and affordable transport and ensuring the vibrancy of our local arts and culture." She said she was proud of the "yes" campaign in the cannabis referendum, which just fell short. "Despite the result, we're really glad to have sparked a conversation about the need for fit-for-purpose drug laws in New Zealand. As a country we've come so far in understanding the need to reduce the harm of drugs by bringing them out of the shadows, and I remain committed to working for a drug harm reduction approach to drugs in the future". Huge lead for Labour over National Fifty per cent is the largest share of the party vote for Labour since 1946, and the first time a party has won 50 per cent or more of the party vote since National in 1951. It is also the largest gap between Labour and National since the two-party system began in 1938. Labour's Emily Henderson is the party's new MP after she won Whangerei. Photo/ Supplied Official turn out for the 2020 election was 82.2 per cent, up from 79.8 per cent in 2017 and 77.9 per cent in 2014. Far more people voted in advance - 67.7 per cent - than in previous elections. Final enrolment was 94.1 per cent of eligible voters, the highest since 2008.   Fri, 06 Nov 2020 01:19:01 Z /news/vote-2020/eight-electorate-seats-on-a-knife-edge-as-official-election-results-due-today/ /news/vote-2020/eight-electorate-seats-on-a-knife-edge-as-official-election-results-due-today/ After nearly three weeks of waiting, voters and politicians will today find out the official results from last month's election. Election officials have spent the last few weeks counting an estimated half a million special votes this year - that includes overseas voters, those who enrolled on Election Day, and those who voted outside of their electorate. The results could see up to eight electorate sets that were won on election night could easily change hands today. National MP Shane Reti is teetering on a knife-edge, with preliminary results giving him a 164 vote lead over Labour's Emily Henderson. Reti says he agrees Whangarei could flip away from him. "We got swept up like every electorate did in the red surge, so there was no surprise that it was going to have an impact on us as well." If the seat did turn red, Shane Reti would be able to stay on in parliament as a list MP. That would push other National MPs who are further down on the list out. National traditionally loses MPs in the special vote - last election losing two seats to Labour and the Greens. MPs Maureen Pugh, Nick Smith and Melissa Lee are the most likely National MPs to miss out once the specials are announced.  Pugh's been out on special votes in the last two elections - but became an MP in 2018 after Bill English stepped down. She describes herself as a yo-yo MP - and says anything can happen. "It's a waiting game. I can tell you honestly that I've lost absolutely no sleep over it," she told 九一星空无限talk ZB - saying she has actually caught up on sleep lost during the campaign.  Pugh says that she could make it back in in a similar situation to 2018.  "If I do get to come back in, that would be all well and good, and I would carry on doing what I have done in the past." Another electorate on the cusp of changing hands is Auckland Central, which was won by Green Party's Chloe Swarbrick, who claimed 9060 votes to Labour's Helen White's 8568 on the night. Swarbrick says she won't be celebrating until all the votes are counted. "The way that the specials do typically skew is in support of progressive candidates and parties, so I'm hopeful and looking forward to having it all out of the way," she says. The race isn't over for the Waiariki electoral seat. Māori Party’s co-leader Rawiri Waititi currently sits 415 votes ahead of Labour's Tāmati Coffey. Waititi says he's optimistic the election results will go his way. "We've done our bit in terms of campaigning and appealing to our people. We've gone our whanau here some viable choices. "No matter what the result is, we will continue to work hard for our people heading into the future."  The other tight races in the electorates are Invercargill, Maungakiekie, Northland, Tukituki, and Tāmaki Makaurau, where the majorities on Election Day were all under 1,000. The results could also change the outcome of the cannabis referendum. While the referendum to legalise euthanasia passed last week by a high majority in the initial count, cannabis narrowly missed out, failing with 53 percent voting against and just 46 voting in favour. However, if around 70 percent of the specials vote in favour, the referendum will pass.  Swarbrick, who campaigned for a yes vote, says it’s a tall order, but it's not impossible. "I think the state of play in politics in the 21st century, let alone my own personal experience with regards to the likes of Auckland Central, has shown that nothing can be written off until those final results come in." On Election Day, Labour won 64 seats with 49.15 per cent of the vote, while National ended up with 35 seats and 26.79 per cent of the vote. ACT and Greens both ended the night with 10 seats, while David Seymour's party edged ahead in the party vote, with 7.98 percent to 7.57 percent. None of the other parties passed the five percent threshold to enter Parliament.  text by Aaron Dahmen and Courtney Winter Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:00:05 Z /news/vote-2020/jacinda-arderns-new-cabinet-revealed-grant-robertson-named-as-deputy-pm/ /news/vote-2020/jacinda-arderns-new-cabinet-revealed-grant-robertson-named-as-deputy-pm/ Grant Robertson has been named as deputy Prime Minister and Andrew Little as Health Minister. After later term's KiwiBuild fiasco, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demoted Phil Twyford - who will be a minister outside Cabinet, with the disarmament portfolio. Ardern revealed that Robertson will also keep the Finance portfolio and to be given Infrastructure so he can oversee the roll out of the $12 billion NZ upgrade programme and the $3 billion shovel-ready fund. Chris Hipkins will be Minister for Covid-19 Response, which will include many facets including testing, managed isolation, and border management. He will keep Education and Leader of the House. Little will be in charge of the health sector reforms, and be assisted by Associate Health Ministers including Peeni Henare, who will also be Defence Minister. Henare moves into Cabinet as does newcomer Ayesha Verrall, who will be Associate Health Minister, Minister for Seniors and Minister for Food Safety. Ardern said there will be two overarching priorities for the new Cabinet, including keeping Kiwis safe from Covid-19 and to drive the economic recovery. A coordinated health team and a senior economic team are features of the new Cabinet, she said. She said the global pandemic meant the "world is in a situation we have never seen before", with Europe being hit hard with Covid infections. "The challenge of Covid-19 will be with us for many many months to come." There are seven new ministers to Cabinet. PM's portfolio & who's doing what Ardern will be Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, and Arts Culture and Heritage will go to Carmel Sepuloni. Kelvin Davis remains the party's deputy leader. Davis revealed this morning that he didn't want the deputy prime ministership. Davis will keep Crown Maori relations and take on Minister for Children with responsibility for Oranga Tamariki. He retains Associate Education and Corrections. Megan Woods keeps Housing and Energy and Resources and Science and Innovation, and she picks up Associate Finance. David Parker keeps Environment and picks up Revenue, as well as a new portfolio of Oceans and Fisheries. Stuart Nash will have Economic and Regional Development, Tourism, and Forestry, and he will keep Small Businesses. Damien O'Connor picks up Trade and Export Growth as well as keeping Agriculture. Sepuloni will keep Social Development, and Employment will be rolled into this. Nanaia Mahuta will be Foreign Affairs Minister. She is New Zealand's first female Foreign Affairs Minister. Poto Williams will be Police Minister and move into Cabinet. Kris Faafoi retains Immigration and Broadcasting, and also becomes Justice Minister. Willie Jackson will be in Cabinet and have Maori Development. Jan Tinetti will have Women and Internal Affairs and Associate Education. Michael Wood will be Employment Relations Minister, while Kiri Allen will be Minister of Conservation. Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Statistics will be David Clark's portfolios, who returns to Cabinet. Meka Whaitiri will be a minister again, including responsibility for animal welfare. Rino Tirikatene will be Oceans under-secretary, and Deborah Russell will be under-secretary for Revenue. "We know we have a big job ahead of us," Ardern said. She said Mahuta in Foreign Affairs was a "natural decision" given her previous Associate Trade role. "She is someone who builds fantastic relationships." Hipkins will work with public agencies including MBIE, Health and Transport to combat Covid-19, and Ardern said Sir Brian Roche had recommended a single minister to deal with the issues. She said Twyford still had something to offer. But he had not met expectations in housing. Ardern said Clark was now "better matched" to his skill set, including growing the digital economy. Jenny Salesa has been dropped from the executive, and she will be nominated as Assistant Speaker. Adrian Rurawhe will be nominated as Deputy Speaker. She said light rail will sit under Transport but Wood as Transport Minister will work closely with Robertson as Infrastructure Minister. Mahuta will bring different strengths to Foreign Affairs than Winston Peters did, and Ardern added that she will work closely with Mahuta in that space, as will O'Connor as Trade Minister and Rino Tirikatene as Trade Under-secretary. The majority of those in Cabinet have ministerial experience, such as Willie Jackson and Peeni Henare. Including Allen and Verrall in Cabinet was a sign of the talent available that it would be wrong to exclude them, Ardern said. It was not without precedent - Margaret Wilson and Steven Joyce were also brought straight into Cabinet. She said Meka Whaitiri had made an enormous effort to make amends following the alleged assault incident in 2018. She said Nash had areas of interest but he couldn't do everything. He mostly wanted to have Economic and Regional Development, and new Police Minister Poto Williams had experience particularly in the family and sexual violence space. Ardern said she will later outline the Government's priorities before Christmas, but she has already said the flexi-wage and small business loan scheme will be prioritised. She said people were promoted to Cabinet on their merits but they were also diverse and representative of New Zealand as a whole. She said Kieran McAnulty would be chief whip and will have a huge job given the size of the caucus, adding that he was a "fantastic" team player who will likely be a minister at a later date. She said every MP generally wants to be part of the executive, but McAnulty was happy to play whatever role that was asked of him in the best interests of the party. "Within this lineup, I'm playing to people's strengths," she said. "This is a Cabinet and an executive that is based on merit but also happens to be incredibly diverse." Ardern has previously said she expected the deputy leader to be the Deputy PM, but this morning she said there was no reason why different people couldn't hold each role. Davis said he got into politics to be the MP for Te Tai Tokerau and to improve outcomes for Māori. He added he wanted to continue as deputy leader and mentor the large Labour caucus. He appeared to say that he has been given hefty ministerial portfolios, but didn't say what they were. "I just want to really be able to focus on my new roles and I'm very excited and looking forward to them."   Sun, 01 Nov 2020 23:54:53 Z /news/vote-2020/labours-current-deputy-leader-kelvin-davis-rules-himself-out-as-deputy-pm/ /news/vote-2020/labours-current-deputy-leader-kelvin-davis-rules-himself-out-as-deputy-pm/ Labour's deputy leader Kelvin Davis said he won't be seeking the role of deputy Prime Minister but he wants to stay on as Labour's leader. Davis said Labour has a "very big caucus" and said his role of deputy, would be one of supporting the wider caucus. He said Jacinda Ardern offered him the role of deputy Prime Minister ahead of the election. But Ardern said that it was a decision that was up to him. Davis would not say who he was supporting to be the deputy Prime Minister. But he would not go into caucus matters, including who will get what portfolio. Ardern said Davis told her before the election that deputy Prime Minister was not a role he wanted. "Kelvin has made this decision, he still has my full confidence." He has Ardern's "full support" to be the part's deputy leader. She said there was no reason why he can't be deputy labour leader and not deputy prime minister. "It's a role he wants to stay on with." She wouldn't say who she wants to stay on a deputy Prime Minister. She said her "complete focus" was building her team. "This has been Kelvin's decision," she said, adding that it's one that she respects. On the vote, Ardern said every minister is going to be voted on this morning.Anyone is able to nominate and there will be a vote "if required". Ardern said she has talks with the MPs beforehand, so it's not a surprise. "We do work through a bit of a consensus process." Ardern fronted media before a caucus vote on which MPs will become ministers in her new Cabinet. That meeting will include a confirmation vote on the party's leadership. Ardern and the deputy leader need at least 60 per cent support in the confirmation vote; if not, a leadership process is triggered. Ardern is certain to win the vote. Chris Hipkins said whether or not he takes on the health portfolio is up to the Prime Minister. He said he would "love" to continue being a Minister - it's a privilege he said he thoroughly enjoyed Finance Minister Grant Robertson told media that he has nothing to say about the deputy leadership. "We don't talk about what happens in caucus." Former Health Minister David Clark said whether or not he is back in a high-ranking cabient position is up to the caucus. Davis is the current Deputy Labour Party leader, but he had so far been unwilling to comment on whether or not he would like to be the Deputy Prime Minister. That role was vacated by NZ First leader Winston Peters, after his party failed to reach the 5 per cent threshold at the election. That means he's out of Parliament and Ardern's Cabinet. Ardern has previously said Labour's Deputy Leader will take on the role of Deputy Prime Minister. But, speaking to reporters yesterday, Davis wouldn't be drawn on whether he wanted to stay in the job and become Deputy Prime Minister. Ardern was also not giving anything away. When pressed on the issue, she compared it to a "not very fun pub game". "I will not be entertaining any speculation," she said. As well as the leadership vote, Labour's caucus will also vote on ministerial positions. It is understood Ardern is going to take the lead on nominating MPs for various positions. There are a number of vacated roles in Cabinet that Ardern needs to fill. There are six empty seats at the Cabinet table: those vacated by the four NZ First ministers, and the unfilled vacancies of former Labour Party ministers Iain Lees-Galloway and Clare Curran. Finance Minister Grant Robertson is expected to be given Infrastructure so he can oversee the roll out of the $12 billion NZ upgrade programme and the $3b shovel-ready fund. Yesterday, Ardern gave nothing away over whether Chris Hipkins would keep Health, Education or both, or continue with parts of either. Ardern said she wanted to balance expertise and experience with caucus talent. That could include promotions for, among others, chief whip Michael Wood, junior whips Kiri Allen and Kieran McAnulty, and former primary school principal Jan Tinetti. Cabinet usually has 20 ministers, and Ardern said the size of the executive would be largely unchanged.   Sun, 01 Nov 2020 21:40:31 Z /news/vote-2020/labour-and-greens-leaders-to-sign-co-operation-agreement/ /news/vote-2020/labour-and-greens-leaders-to-sign-co-operation-agreement/ The Greens say they'll still push for a wealth tax and solving other inequality gaps, despite the specific issues not forming part of their ministerial responsibilities under the new Government deal signed with Labour today. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis and Green co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have signed the Labour-Greens cooperation agreement. Ardern said it was "fantastic" to have the agreement formalised. Shaw called it a "win-win". Davidson said she could still stand strong - even against the Government - on the Ihumatao issue because that was an issue outside of the Greens' ministerial portfolios. She also said the party's wealth tax was not part of the ministerial portfolios given to the Greens, so the party could continue to push for ways to address inequality. The signing took place in the Prime Minister's boardroom on the ninth floor of the Beehive this morning. Ardern outlined the agreement, saying it represented the continuation of the Labour-Greens relationship and provided stability. The agreement means the Greens cannot oppose the Government on confidence and supply. Last night the Green Party members voted to accept a deal with the Labour Party which will see Shaw and Davidson become ministers outside of Cabinet. Shaw will be the Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity). Davidson will become the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). Ardern said she wanted to bring as much consensus as possible, though the agreement did not require consensus to be formed. The cooperation agreement was unique in that "we don't have to agree", she said. There were reasons to have consensus but it wasn't necessary, given Labour held a parliamentary majority without the Greens. She said tomorrow's announcement about Cabinet positions was about balancing existing experience with new talent. She said there wouldn't be "large-scale deviation" from existing portfolios or the size of the executive. She has been "mindful" of acute issues such as Covid-19 in deciding the make-up of Cabinet, noting the strict lockdowns announced in the UK, France and Germany. Shaw and Davidson provided specific expertise that would be used in their ministerial portfolios, she said. Davidson said the Greens campaigned on climate change, biodiversity and inequality spaces, and the agreement allowed the Greens to "keep pushing" on those issues while also protecting the Greens' independent voice. She said time was running out on those issues. Shaw said it was a privilege and an honour to be returned to Parliament with an expanded caucus and with ministerial portfolios. "We are delighted to have a win-win agreement here." Davidson said she was proud that the Greens' membership supported the agreement; 85 per cent of members supported the agreement, above the needed 75 per cent. Shaw said he didn't feel gagged by the agreement - "not in the slightest". The delegates who didn't support the agreement had compared the arrangement to 2017, but Shaw said it was more reasonable to compare it with 2005 and the 2020 agreement was stronger than that one. Davidson said the party understood that Labour had offered wins to the Greens despite Labour holding a parliamentary majority. She said she was honoured to continue Green MP Jan Logie's work towards ending family and sexual violence. "I get to be able to work with her and continue on to the next step." Ardern said Labour would not put the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill into the ballot where it could be drawn as a member's bill. Davidson said putting the bill forward as a Green MP member's bill had not been discussed with caucus. Ardern said a cross-parliamentary discussion would be needed about having a four-year term, including whether it should be put to a referendum. Davidson said a unique aspect of the agreement was to allow the Greens to outline where they would want to go "further and faster" than the Government. Ardern said "good progress" was being made on a quarantine-free travel bubble with Nuie and she expected a deal to be made "soon", though she didn't specify a timeline. Davis said he was feeling "fine" going into tomorrow's announcements, which would include the deputy prime ministership. Ardern said she was hopeful to have a legally clear regime for drug-testing at festivals in time for the summer festival season. Drug testing operates now but in a legally grey area, and NZ First blocked the work last parliamentary term to provide legal clarity. Ardern said it wasn't about changing the legal status of any of those substances, but about saving lives. The testing means that festival-goers can check that the substances they have are what they were told they are, and are not laced with anything else.   Sat, 31 Oct 2020 22:25:17 Z /news/vote-2020/green-party-accepts-deal-with-labour-james-shaw-marama-davidson-to-be-ministers/ /news/vote-2020/green-party-accepts-deal-with-labour-james-shaw-marama-davidson-to-be-ministers/ The Green Party has accepted Labour's Government-forming deal, which includes their two highest ranking MPs receiving Ministerial portfolios. A spokeswoman for the Green Party confirmed that more than 75 per cent of the 138 party delegates assessing the deal tonight have voted to accept it. The delegates have been negotiating the deal for close to four hours. A spokesman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the vote in a statement moments later. "The Green Party is thrilled to enter into this governing arrangement with Labour, after three years of a constructive Confidence and Supply relationship", co-leader Marama Davidson said in a statement. "We entered into this negotiation hoping to achieve the best outcomes for New Zealand and our planet. This was after a strong campaign where we committed to action on the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the poverty crisis. "New Zealanders voted us in to be a productive partner to Labour to ensure we go further and faster on the issues that matter. We will make sure that happens this term." The accepting of the deal means Davidson will become the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). Co-leader James Shaw will become the Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity). "We are very happy to have secured areas of cooperation in achieving the goals of the Zero Carbon Act, protecting our nature, and improving child wellbeing", he said. "We have a larger caucus this term who are ready to play a constructive role achieving bold action in these areas." Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who addressed the nation earlier tonight, pointed out that Labour won a "clear mandate" to form a majority Government on our own to accelerate our recovery from Covid-19. "This agreement respects the mandate voters provided Labour while continuing our cooperative work with the Green Party in areas where they add expertise to build as strong a consensus as possible." "We showed in the last Government we can work well with the Green Party. "On environmental and wellbeing issues there is much we agree on that is good for New Zealand and I want to draw on our shared goals and expertise to keep moving forward with that work." The Labour Party confirmed earlier this afternoon that it had offered the Greens two ministerial positions for their highest ranking MPs in a deal that Ardern described as a "win-win". Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Ardern said the deal reflects the mandate Labour received when it won its 64 seat majority in the election. "I will use the mandate that we have been given." However, it is a deal that she said the Greens leadership who negotiated it were happy with. And Ardern has also signalled that she will be looking to work with the opposition on a number of areas of cross-party cooperation, such as extending the parliamentary term. The highlight of the deal is the portfolios co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson would hold outside cabinet. Davidson has been offered the position of Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). Shaw had been offered the Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity). Climate Change is a portfolio he held in the last Government and is an area he knows "inside out," Ardern said. At its essence, the deal means the Greens would commit to supporting the Labour Government to provide stable government for this term of Parliament. The deal said: "The Green Party agrees to support the Labour Government by not opposing votes on matters of confidence and supply for the full term of this Parliament." That means they are not allowed to vote against the Government when passing the budget. They are, however, allowed to abstain from that vote. As well as the offered Ministerial posts, Labour is offering to work with the Greens in a number of "areas of cooperation". This includes achieving the purpose and goals of the Zero Carbon Act, protecting our environment and biodiversity and improving child wellbeing. "This [deal] will provide New Zealanders with the certainty of a strong, stable Labour Government with support from the Green Party over the next three years," Ardern said. Ardern said this arrangement draws on the skills of those within the Green Party. It would also be in the best interest of the Government, she said. Ardern said Shaw and Davidson have "very clearly defined" areas that they will be working on if the deal was approved. Ardern said she got the impression that the Greens leadership was happy with the deal."We have had three years working together," she said. "We both have a win, win from this arrangement." Cooperation Agreement between the New Zealand Labour Party and the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Preamble The Green Party commits to supporting the Labour Government to provide stable government for the term of the 53rd Parliament. The parties commit to working in the best interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders, working to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and building and maintaining public confidence in the integrity of Parliament and our democracy. This agreement builds on the constructive and enduring working relationship between the two parties. It does this by setting out the arrangements between the parliamentary Labour and Green Parties as they relate to the Ministerial portfolios and areas of policy cooperation set out in this agreement. Nature of agreement The Green Party agrees to support the Labour Government by not opposing votes on matters of confidence and supply for the full term of this Parliament. In addition, the Green Party will support the Labour Government on procedural motions in the House and at Select Committees on the terms set out in this agreement. This will provide New Zealanders with the certainty of a strong, stable Labour Government with support from the Green Party over the next three years. The Green Party will determine its own position in relation to any policy or legislative matter not covered by the Ministerial portfolios and areas of cooperation set out in this agreement. Differences of position within such portfolios and areas of cooperation will be managed in accordance with this agreement. The Labour Government in turn commits to working constructively with the Green Party to advance the policy goals set out in this agreement, alongside Labour's policy programme. Ministerial positions The Labour Government's priorities for this term centre on a COVID-19 recovery plan. This includes the implementation of Labour's manifesto promises and five point economic plan, with a focus on investing in our people and preparing for the future. The Green Party's aspirations include enabling a Just Transition to a zero-carbon economy; supporting equity, compassion and inclusive communities; ensuring ecosystems, indigenous species and their habitats thrive; and cultivating a flourishing democracy founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This agreement supports the advancement of these priorities by allocating portfolios and establishing areas of cooperation that are consistent with the direction and goals of the Labour Government, as well as contributing to addressing the Green Party's aspirations. The Green Party will hold the following portfolios outside of Cabinet: Marama Davidson will be appointed to the position of Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). Hon James Shaw will be appointed to the position of Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity). The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence will be the lead Minister for the whole of government response on family and sexual violence with the mandate to coordinate Budget bids in this area. The Minister will also be a member of the ad hoc Ministerial group on the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. These Ministerial portfolios also reflect areas where Green Party expertise provides a valuable contribution to the Labour Government. Ministers from the Green Party will attend Cabinet Committees for items relevant to their portfolios and receive Cabinet Papers relevant to their portfolios, as provided for in the Cabinet Manual. In addition, the Labour Party will support the nomination of a Green Party Member of Parliament to be the Chair of a Select Committee, as well as a Green Party Member of Parliament in the role of Deputy Chair of an additional Select Committee. Areas of cooperation The parties will cooperate on agreed areas where the Labour and Green Parties have common goals: Achieving the purpose and goals of the Zero Carbon Act through decarbonising public transport, decarbonising the public sector, increasing the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, introducing clean car standards, and supporting the use of renewable energy for industrial heat. Protecting our environment and biodiversity through working to achieve the outcomes of Te Mana o te Taiao - Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020, protecting Kauri, building on pest management programmes, and taking action to minimise waste and problem plastics. Improving child wellbeing and marginalised communities through action on homelessness, warmer homes, and child and youth mental health. These areas of cooperation reflect common goals between the Labour and Green Parties, and represent areas where the policy and experience of the Green Party provides a positive contribution to the Labour Government. The Labour and Green Parties will work together in good faith and cooperate with each other in respect of executive and Parliamentary activities to advance these shared goals, including any public statements. The Prime Minister's letters of expectations to Ministers will reflect the areas of policy cooperation and consultation processes required. Beyond these stated areas of cooperation, it is also the Government's intention to work with political parties from across Parliament (including the opposition) on issues that affect our democracy, including the Electoral Commission's 2012 recommended changes to MMP, electoral finance law, and the length of the Parliamentary term. Consultation On the areas of cooperation set out in this agreement, or other matters as agreed, the parties commit to undertaking political consultation between the responsible Minister and the appropriate spokesperson. This process will also apply to Green Party Ministerial portfolio matters. This process, which will be agreed between the parties and set out in a Cabinet Office Circular, will cover: the initial policy development, including access to relevant papers and drafts of legislation, the development of Cabinet Papers, the public communication of the policy to acknowledge the role of the Green Party. The Labour Government will also brief the Green Party on: the broad outline of the legislative programme, broad Budget parameters and process. Outside of the areas specified in this agreement, there will be no requirement for consultation, but this could happen on a case by case basis. Where there has been full participation in the development of a policy initiative and that participation has led to an agreed position, it is expected that both parties to this agreement will publicly support the process and outcome. This does not prevent the parties from noting where the agreed position deviates from their stated policy. Relationship between the parties The Labour and Green Parties will cooperate with each other with mutual respect on the areas set out in this agreement. Cooperation will include joint announcements relating to areas of policy cooperation. The Leader of the Labour Party and the Green Party Co-leaders will meet every six weeks to monitor progress against the areas of cooperation set out in this agreement. The Chiefs of Staff will meet regularly. The parties agree that any concerns will be raised in confidence as early as possible and in good faith, between the Prime Minister's Office and the Office of the Co-leaders of the Green Party. Matters can be escalated to the Chiefs of Staff, and then Party leaders, as required. The parties may establish a process in order to maintain different public positions on the areas of cooperation. The parties agree that matters of differentiation will be dealt with on a 'no surprises' basis. This agreement will evolve as the term of Government progresses, including through opening up potential additional areas of cooperation. Any additional areas of cooperation will be agreed to between the Party leaders and given effect by a letter from the Prime Minister to the relevant Minister. Cabinet Manual Green Party Ministers agree to be bound by the Cabinet Manual in the exercise of Ministerial Responsibilities, and in particular, agree to be bound by the provisions in the Cabinet Manual on conduct, public duty, and personal interests of Ministers. Collective responsibility Ministers from the Green Party agree to be bound by collective responsibility in relation to their Ministerial portfolios. When speaking within portfolio responsibilities, they will speak for the Government representing the Government's position in relation to those responsibilities. In accordance with the Cabinet Manual, Ministers from the Green Party must support and implement Cabinet decisions in their portfolio areas. However, Ministers from the Green Party will not be restricted from noting where that policy may deviate from the Green Party policy on an issue. If this is required, it may be noted in the Cabinet minute that on a key issue, the Green Party position differs from the Cabinet decision. When Ministers from the Green Party are speaking about matters outside of their portfolio responsibilities, they may speak as the Co-leader of the Green Party or as a Member of Parliament. Agree to disagree provisions of the Cabinet Manual will be applied as necessary. Confidentiality Ministers from the Green Party will be bound by the principle of Cabinet confidentiality, as set out in the Cabinet Manual. Where Cabinet papers or other briefings are provided to the Green Party, or where the Green Party is involved in consultation on legislation, policy or budgetary matters, all such material and discussions shall be confidential unless otherwise agreed. In the event that Government or Cabinet papers are provided to the Green Party for the purposes of political consultation they shall be provided to a designated person with the office of the Green Party, who will take responsibility for ensuring they are treated with the appropriate degree of confidentiality. Once confidential information is in the public domain, both parties are able to make comment on the information, subject to any constraints required by collective responsibility or this agreement. Management of Parliamentary activities Both parties commit to a 'no surprises' approach for House and Select Committee business. Protocols will be established for managing this. The Leader of the House will keep the Green Party informed about the House programme in advance of each sitting session. Consultation on legislation outside of the scope of this agreement will be conducted on a case by case basis. The Green Party will consider its position on each Bill in good faith and advise the relevant Minister and the Prime Minister's Office. The Labour and Green Parties agree to a 'no surprises' approach to new Members' Bills. However, neither party is under any obligation to support the other party's Members' Bills. The Green Party will support the Government on procedural motions in the House and in Select Committees, subject to consultation being undertaken. This excludes urgency, which will be negotiated on a case by case basis. The Labour Party Whip and Green Party Musterer will establish protocols to ensure these processes work effectively to meet the expectations of both parties. The Green Party undertakes to keep full voting numbers present whenever the House is sitting where the Green Party has committed to support the Labour Government and on matters of confidence and supply. The Green Party also undertakes to keep full voting numbers in Select Committee, unless otherwise agreed.   Sat, 31 Oct 2020 10:43:24 Z /news/vote-2020/labour-offers-greens-confidence-and-supply-deal-green-party-delegates-to-vote/ /news/vote-2020/labour-offers-greens-confidence-and-supply-deal-green-party-delegates-to-vote/ Labour has offered the Green Party a deal which includes two Ministerial portfolios - but it's now up to a select group of key Greens members to accept that deal. Whether or not the deal is accepted is up to a group of Green Party delegates, who are debating whether or not to accept it right now. The potential deal would see the Green Party will hold the following portfolios outside of Cabinet: * Marama Davidson will be appointed to the position of Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness). * Hon James Shaw will be appointed to the position of Minister of Climate Change and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity). The deal would also means the Leader of the Labour Party and the Green Party Co-leaders will meet every six weeks to monitor progress against the areas of cooperation set out in this agreement. The Chiefs of Staff will meet regularly. Ministers from the Green Party will attend Cabinet Committees for items relevant to their portfolios and receive Cabinet Papers relevant to their portfolios, as provided for in the Cabinet Manual, the agreement said. "The Green Party agrees to support the Labour Government by not opposing votes on matters of confidence and supply for the full term of this Parliament," the deal, released by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, said. "In addition, the Green Party will support the Labour Government on procedural motions in the House and at Select Committees on the terms set out in this agreement. "This will provide New Zealanders with the certainty of a strong, stable Labour Government with support from the Green Party over the next three years." She said Shaw and Davidson have been given ministerial positions, outside of cabinet. "James knows climate change inside out," Ardern said. Ardern said never before has one party won a majority under MPP. She said the agreement "strikes the right balance". She said the deal means Labour's vote is bolstered in the House now. Ardern said the Government plans to work with the Opposition to increase the length of the Parliamentary term. She said there can be conciseness on this. On Monday, she will be outlining the new Cabinet. Ardern will be doing a speech on the Government's priority during this term. She said that a strong mandate for Labour will allow the Government to "accelerate its response". Ardern said this arrangement draws on the skills of those within the Green Party. It would also be in the the best interest of the Government, she said. "I will use the mandate that we have been given." She said she never considered a coalition deal and said that was "never in her mind". "We have certifiably, and stability," in the House, she said. Ardern said both Shaw and Davidson bring strong experience to the table. On Davidson, she said it makes sense that the Government uses her "passion". Ardern said Shaw and Davidson have "very clearly defined" areas that they will be working on if the deal was approved. She said electoral finance reforms need to be addressed. The potential deal says the Green Party will determine its own position in relation to any policy or legislative matter not covered by the Ministerial portfolios and areas of cooperation set out in this agreement. Key members of the Green Party have officially begun debating whether or not to accept the Government-forming deal presented to them by the Labour Party. Greens co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have been hammering out a deal with Labour's leadership for more than a week and it now falls to 138 Green Party delegates to decide if that deal should be accepted. Both Shaw and Davidson have previously not said what had been discussed behind closed doors. Ardern said at a press conference this afternoon that in the interest of "transparency" she was releasing it ahead of a final decision. She said this agreement honors those who voted for a Labour majority. Ardern said the deal would ensure there was a majority in the house on the most important votes. She said "we won't be held back" on the Covid-19 recovery. Ardern said there was a number of areas of policy agreement in the agreement. She said the deal means Labour's vote is bolstered in the House now. The outcome of the Greens decision will be relayed later today, Ardern said. The text of the potential agreement released by Ardern states: "The Green Party commits to supporting the Labour Government to provide stable government for the term of the 53rd Parliament. The parties commit to working in the best interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders, working to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and building and maintaining public confidence in the integrity of Parliament and our democracy. "This agreement builds on the constructive and enduring working relationship between the two parties. It does this by setting out the arrangements between the parliamentary Labour and Green Parties as they relate to the Ministerial portfolios and areas of policy cooperation set out in this agreement. "The Green Party agrees to support the Labour Government by not opposing votes on matters of confidence and supply for the full term of this Parliament." But at the 4.30pm press conference Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed what she and her leadership team offered the Greens, in terms of their involvement in her Government. While Ardern was preparing for the press conference, the Green Party's delegates were voting on whether or not to accept what has been offered. If more than 75 per cent of those on the call approve, the deal will be enacted. But if not, the Greens won't go back to the negotiation table and will spend the next three years in opposition. This will not, however, leave Ardern leading a minority Government as Labour won 64 out of 120 electorate seats in the election. The outcome of the Green delegates' votes will most likely be known later tonight. After the 2017 election, the Green Party adopted the same process when Labour presented it with the Supply and Confidence agreement. That deal was overwhelmingly backed by the delegates. But in 2017, Ardern needed both the Greens and New Zealand First to get enough support to form a Government. This meant both parties had a lot of leverage and were able to ask for certain policies to be put on the Government's agenda or for some of their MPs to be ministers. That is not the case this time, so any deal offered to the Greens is unlikely to be as good as they got after the 2017 election.   Sat, 31 Oct 2020 03:39:07 Z /news/vote-2020/new-zealanders-say-yes-to-euthanasia-so-what-happens-now/ /news/vote-2020/new-zealanders-say-yes-to-euthanasia-so-what-happens-now/ A strong majority of New Zealanders have ticked "yes" in the voluntary euthanasia referendum. Results show 65.2 per cent voted for euthanasia, compared to 33.8 per cent against. Nearly 500,000 special votes still need to be counted, but the margin between the support and opposition is so wide that the referendum is likely to succeed. Once the official result is confirmed on November 6, it will be a year before New Zealanders get access to assisted dying. What happens now? The End of Life Choice Act has already passed and the referendum is binding. If special votes confirm a majority "yes" vote, the law would come into force on November 6, 2021. The delay is to allow time for systems to be updated, and for new oversight committees to be set up - including a group which would develop a list of doctors, psychiatrists and pharmacists who are willing to take part in assisted dying. Because the law has already passed through Parliament, no further changes could be made. But it could be amended by future governments. And it would be reviewed after three years, followed by regular five-yearly reviews. How would it work? Terminal patients with six months to live would be able to request assisted dying. They would have to be aged 18 or older and be a permanent resident or citizen. They would also need to be: • in an advanced state of irreversible decline in physical capability • experiencing unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that they consider tolerable • competent to make an informed decision about dying And they would not be eligible on the basis of age, mental illness, or disability alone. What is the process? To get access to assisted dying, a patient would need the approval of two doctors. A GP could refuse to take part, but must tell the patient they can ask for the name and details of a replacement doctor. The doctors must then carry out a number of checks - such as ensuring a person understands their other options and that they can change their mind at any time. If either of the doctors had any concerns about the patient's competence to make a decision about ending their life, they would have to refer them to a psychiatrist for a third opinion. A person would not be able to write an advance directive that they want an assisted death at a later date. And if at any point a doctor suspects a person is being pressured, they would have to stop the process. Once approved for the procedure, the patient would be able to choose the method of taking the lethal dose and whether they want to take it themselves or have a doctor administer it. They also choose a date for their death, and if they change their mind they can set a new date within a timeframe of six months. Is there a watchdog? Three new roles would be created to run the new euthanasia regime and provide oversight. A Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand (SCENZ) Group would draw up a list of willing doctors and psychiatrists and would also prepare standards of care and advice on the medical and legal procedures. An End of Life Review Committee would check reports on assisted deaths to make sure they complied with the law, and flag any concerns to a Registrar. The Registrar would check that the processes required by the law had been followed, and would also be in charge of hearing complaints and referring them to the appropriate agency - such as the police or Health and Disability Commissioner. Fri, 30 Oct 2020 01:20:42 Z /news/vote-2020/election-2020-cannabis-legalisation-fails-what-happens-next/ /news/vote-2020/election-2020-cannabis-legalisation-fails-what-happens-next/ The preliminary referendum results indicate that a majority of Kiwis voted against legalising cannabis for personal use. Today's results show 46.1 per cent voted for legalised cannabis, compared to 53.1 per cent against. The official result, however, won't be known until November 6, when 480,000-odd special votes will be included in the final count. But the margin today suggests that the "no" vote has prevailed, which is in line with poll results leading up to polling day. The incoming Government will still look to improve the current health-based approach to drug law reform. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that some of the issues legalisation sought to address - including referring cannabis users to health services rather than the justice system - will be looked at regardless of the referendum result. A change to the Misuse of Drugs Act last year sought to take a more health-centred approach for those caught in possession of any drug, not just cannabis. It has led to fewer prosecutions and greater use of police warnings since it was implemented in August last year. But it also codified police discretion into law, and a Herald investigation found that the change has done nothing to alleviate the inequitable application of the law, which disproportionately hurts Māori. In the 10 and a half months since the law change, about 10.7 per cent of drug users coming into contact with police were referred to health services - a rate described by the Drug Foundation as a complete failure. On the campaign trail this month, Ardern noted the 500-odd health referrals that had been made so far under the new law. "Regardless of the outcome of the vote, we will look at the way the Misuse of Drugs Act amendments are being applied, making sure we've got the addiction and treatment facilities we need, making sure those referrals are happening in the cases where they should," Ardern said at the time. She also said the Government would keep a close eye on the legal medicinal cannabis regime to see if the product standards were too high, making medicines inaccessible for too many patients. A broader question is whether the next Government will review the Misuse of Drugs Act, which is 45 years old and considered by many in the justice and health sectors to be out of date and no longer fit for purpose.   Fri, 30 Oct 2020 01:17:53 Z /news/vote-2020/todd-muller-concedes-his-coup-among-kaleidoscope-of-issues-leading-to-defeat/ /news/vote-2020/todd-muller-concedes-his-coup-among-kaleidoscope-of-issues-leading-to-defeat/ Former National Party leader Todd Muller admits his leadership coup is among the "kaleidoscope of issues" that led to his party's disastorous election result. Muller returned to Parliament last week for the first time since standing down as leader in July after 53 days in the position. Ahead of National's caucus meeting this morning, he was asked whether he took any responsibility for the election result which saw the party lose 21 MPs with just 26.8 per cent of the preliminary vote. "I'm sure my name appears in the kaleidoscope of issues and challenges that the National Party has had over the last year," Muller said. "But as everyone else has said, and I agree with them, there is a time for reflection and then there's a time to get up off the canvas and rebuild." Muller and former National MP Nikki Kaye rolled Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett from the party's leadership in a coup in May after polls showed support had plummeted after lockdown. But Muller stood down after 53 days in the position because the role had a negative impact on his health and Judith Collins was then made leader. Numerous MPs and commentators have included the quick succession of leaders among the reasons for the election result. Muller said he would do things differently if given the chance but now was the time for reflection. He also had "very strong support" for Collins and deputy leader Gerry Brownlee. After standing down as leader, Muller didn't return to Parliament and first returned last week after the election. Muller's message for National and its supporters was that they were only there "because of the efforts of them". "And the relevance we have in New Zealand today. We need to earn every vote back day by day, week by week and we need to bring the best of ourselves to do that." Tue, 27 Oct 2020 23:15:47 Z /news/vote-2020/national-caucus-meets-to-digest-crushing-election-defeat/ /news/vote-2020/national-caucus-meets-to-digest-crushing-election-defeat/ National leader Judith Collins says today's caucus meeting will go over portfolios and update MPs on the party's review of the election campaign defeat. The substance of the review and the reviewers are yet to be determined by the party's board. Deputy leader Gerry Brownlee said it was a matter for caucus as to whether he'd stay on as deputy leader. He said he wanted what was best for the party. He refused to answer whether he thought he was the right person for the deputy role but said he'd done well in the position before. Today is just the second time the National Party has met after its devastating election defeat, where it lost 20 MPs. National Party president Peter Goodfellow said the terms of reference for the election campaign review was being drafted this week. The review would be more comprehensive and robust than the party's usual campaign reviews, he said. Collins on assigning shadow portfolios Shadow portfolios would be decided after the new Government announces its portfolios, Collins said. One of the considerations was to sometimes test MPs in areas they hadn't had experience in before. Collins said Labour might need the Greens in government to "blame" them. National's leader said she hasn't considered which portfolios she would like, besides national security, as she wanted to know what roles her MPs were keen for. Much of last week's caucus meeting was about farewelling those who lost their seats or have said they would be retiring after the election. But today's meeting is likely to be a lot more forward-looking, as National looks to be the "strong opposition" that Collins promised. Speaking to 九一星空无限talk ZB last week, Collins said she would be sitting down each of her MPs for an "honest" discussion in which they will be able to privately air any concerns. It will also be an opportunity for them to pitch for what shadow portfolios they want. After Todd Muller resigned the leadership in July, Collins said she and deputy leader Gerry Brownlee were given "the hospital pass from hell". She has previously spoken about how she reluctantly became the leader of National, after she was asked by the caucus. "We were thrown it [the leadership] and we ran with it as far and as fast as we could." National's caucus meeting comes as Labour and the Greens attempt to hammer out a government-forming deal this week. Labour, which won 64 out of 120 seats in the House, does not need the Greens to govern. But the two parties are holding talks every day this week to figure out how the Greens can fit into the Labour government. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that those talks are likely to conclude by Friday. Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:57:14 Z /news/vote-2020/greens-and-labour-confident-a-deal-can-be-reached-by-friday/ /news/vote-2020/greens-and-labour-confident-a-deal-can-be-reached-by-friday/ The Greens leadership has confirmed they will emerge from Government-forming talks with the Labour Party by Friday with a deal in hand. But it will be up to a group of high-ranking Greens' members to decide whether the deal offered up by Labour is good enough. If not, and the membership votes it down, the Greens will be sitting in the Opposition benches for the next three years. Greens co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emerged from the second round of formal negotiations with Labour this evening. Those talks were progressing well, according to Davidson. But neither her, nor Shaw, would outline what was actually talked about during the hour-and-a-half-long meeting. "We are working hard and we are moving forward," Davidson said. She did, however, reveal that the pair are hoping to have an agreement by Friday – that's a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. But that does not mean the process is finished. After formal talks are done, the Greens co-leaders will take the deal back to a committee of its high-ranking delegates to vote on whether or not it's accepted. If more than 75 per cent of those on the conference call support the deal, it will formally be adopted. But if not, Shaw confirmed that the Greens would not go back to the negotiating table with Labour. Rather, the Greens would move into Opposition and Labour would govern alone. "It's a straight up and down vote – we would either join the Government or we would not join the Government," Shaw said. It is unclear how long it would take the delegates to vote, but Davidson said that in 2017 – the last time the leadership took a deal to their members – it took a matter of hours. A spokesman for Ardern said it is also her intention to wrap up talks by the end of this week. This means Ardern would announce her Cabinet early next week. But there is still a bit of water to go under the bridge between now and then, according to Shaw. He said there would be meetings between the Greens and Labour camps every day this week, including tomorrow. At the moment, both sides are "stepping through" the areas which they are discussing. But both Labour and the Greens are happy with how the talks are going so far. Shaw noted that the fastest a Government has formed under MMP has been 12 working days. "We're moving as fast as we can," he said before adding that forming Government is a "complicated business – there is a lot of detail." Meanwhile, Labour will hold a caucus meeting tomorrow, by Zoom rather than in person. After farewelling the MPs who are not returning last week, National MPs will also meet for a caucus meeting tomorrow – they will, however, be meeting in person. Leader Judith Collins will then meet with MPs individually to discuss potential portfolio options. Collins has said she will not announce her new line-up until after Ardern has announced her Cabinet. A confidence vote in Collins as leader will not take place until the caucus meeting after the final election results are released. She is not expected to be challenged as a leader.   Tue, 27 Oct 2020 05:12:34 Z /news/vote-2020/billy-te-kahika-quits-advance-nz-after-election-failure/ /news/vote-2020/billy-te-kahika-quits-advance-nz-after-election-failure/ Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika has severed ties with the party after it failed to make it into Parliament. An email sent to party supporters by co-leader and former National MP Jami-Lee Ross last night said Te Kahika informed Advance NZ candidates that he has decided not to continue with the party. "Naturally this is sad for us all," Ross said. On election night, Advance NZ got 20,841 party votes, or 0.9 per cent of the preliminary vote, well short of the 5 per cent threshold for seats in Parliament. Advance NZ grew a large social media following off the back of conspiracy theories and opposition to Covid-19 lockdowns. It had more impact online than at the polls, and will be remembered for anti-lockdown protests in the lead-up to the election, and its outlandish claims and promotion of misinformation (a candidate claimed the Lake Ōhau fires were caused by a direct energy weapon, for example). The party was co-led by blues musician Billy Te Kahika Jr, who stood in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate, and Ross.   Sun, 25 Oct 2020 22:10:56 Z /news/vote-2020/greens-reveal-constructive-and-fruitful-talks-with-jacinda-arderns-labour/ /news/vote-2020/greens-reveal-constructive-and-fruitful-talks-with-jacinda-arderns-labour/ The Greens co-leaders are staying mum on what role they're likely to play in the formation of the Government, after a "fruitful" meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this afternoon. Co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson, as well as a few members of their team, met with senior members of Labour at the Beehive. The meeting only lasted an hour or so but it was clear Davidson and Shaw were not keen on going into detail about what was discussed. "We had some fruitful discussions," she said. "What's on the table was Krispies, and cups of tea and coffee." That was about the most revealing thing the pair said to media, who were gathered at the bottom of the Green's Parliamentary offices in Wellington. Davidson said the Greens starting point was around "what we can do to makes changes in the areas of protecting climate, our environment and addressing inequality". This covers virtually the entire Greens election platform. Davidson did, however, let one thing slip when she said the Greens were looking to provide "support". "The whole point for us is how we can support, where can we seek further action for climate, the environment and our communities." This could mean that any work towards a coalition agreement – where the two parties would govern together – is off the table. Davidson would not confirm, or deny, this was the case. Labour's 49 per cent meant the party gets to bring 64 MPs into Parliament – an outright majority in the House of 120. And the party might bag a couple of extras when the special votes have been counted. All this means they do not need the help of any other parties to form a Government. Davidson said both parties would be meeting again next Tuesday to progress talks. Shaw and Davidson, along with the Greens Chief of Staff and some other senior staff members, met with Labour's team in Ardern's Beehive Office. Labour's team consisted of Ardern, Kelvin Davis, Grant Robertson, Party President Claire Szabo, Chief of Staff Raj Nahna and Chief Policy Advisor Holly Donald. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the talks were "constructive". Wed, 21 Oct 2020 04:44:52 Z /news/vote-2020/the-cost-of-the-supplied-election-pens-to-taxpayers-revealed/ /news/vote-2020/the-cost-of-the-supplied-election-pens-to-taxpayers-revealed/ Taxpayers footed a bill of more than $730,000 for the single-use ballot pens used during this year's historic election. Over fears sharing pens at voting booths could increase possible transmission of Covid-19, 3.6 million pens were supplied by the Electoral Commission. The plastic 14cm pens, that came without any messaging or even a cap, were made in China and freight cost $284,000 to bring them to New Zealand. Each pen cost about $0.125 to make, with the total cost of all the pens coming to a total of $450,000. Excluding GST, the combined cost was $734,000. The entire budget of the Commission, an independent Crown entity set up by Parliament, is taxpayer-funded. There were 3.5 million people enrolled to vote but the Commission opted to order an extra 100,000 as a buffer, a spokesman told the Herald. In previous elections, a pen has been connected to voting booths by a piece of string but they were not available this year. The pens were supplied due to the impact of Covid-19, with people also encouraged to bring their own along with them when voting. A range of other measures was put in place to try and minimise the risk of the virus, including QR code scanning and hand sanitising upon entry. Supplied-pen users had the option of leaving them behind at the voting area in a box designated to collect them or they could take them home. Any leftover pens will be given to schools, charities, and community organisations, the Commission spokesperson said. ‌However, it will not be known how many pens were used during the election as the pens will be distributed directly from voting stations. The Commission placed an order for 2 million pens in May, followed by a second order for 1.6 million in September. "We investigated local manufacturers (and indeed Australasian manufacturers), but none could supply the pens in the quantities, and within the timeframes, required," the Commission spokesman said. "The only manufacturers that could do so were in China."   Wed, 21 Oct 2020 03:15:58 Z /news/vote-2020/20-fascinating-facts-about-the-2020-election-you-might-have-missed/ /news/vote-2020/20-fascinating-facts-about-the-2020-election-you-might-have-missed/ The election had more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster. Labour won the first outright majority in New Zealand's MMP history, winning 64 seats in the House of 120 MPs Act increased its total number of MPs by 900 per cent; Chlöe Swarbrick turned Auckland Central Green and the Māori Party is back in Parliament, provincially. But there are many other more fascinating facts: 1) How many electorates did Labour win the party vote in?Labour won the party vote 68 of the 72 electorates in the country, meaning it lost the party vote in just four seats this election – a record high for Labour. Those seats were: Taranaki-King Country Waikato Tāmaki Epsom Labour won the party vote in every single South Island seat. 2) Which candidate had the highest majority? Remutaka – Labour's candidate, senior Minister Chris Hipkins, won his electorate by the largest margin in the country. He won 24,911 votes compared to his National rival's 7674 – that's a margin of 17,237. Hipkins' margin was even bigger than that of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – who won by a margin of 16,577 in Mt Albert. 3) Which candidate had the smallest majority? Whangārei – National's Shane Reti won it by just 164 votes. The margin would have most likely been a lot larger, if it wasn't for Act's David Seymour standing in the seat. That's not Act leader, David Seymour – rather, a candidate with the same name. It's likely that a number of Act voters got confused and gave the Act leader their candidate vote as well as their party vote. 4) Which candidate got the highest number of votes? Chris Hipkins also wins in this category. Of the 36, 331 votes cast in his Remutaka electorate, he won 24,911. The second highest was Jacinda Ardern who won 23,198 votes. But her seat has 3744 fewer voters than Hipkins. 5) Which MP got the lowest number of votes? In terms of candidates with the lowest total number of votes that got into Parliament, that crown goes to Act's Wellington Central candidate, and the party's deputy leader Brooke van Velden, who only received 678 votes. But when it comes to which candidate got the lowest total vote – that goes to Prince Bhavik, who stood in Kaikōura for the Money Free party. He won just 10 votes. 6) Which electorate had the biggest margin in the party vote? Numerically, it was Taieri. Of the 39,182 votes cast, 23,210 were for Labour. That means there was a margin of 14,705. In terms of the biggest margin represented as a percentage, the title goes to Māngere, where the margin was 65.5 per cent (15,818 Labour votes compared to 2134 for National.) 7) Which electorate had the lowest split? Waikato – of the 34,658 votes cast, 13,472 were for National and 13,434 were for Labour – that's a margin of 38 – or just 0.1 per cent. 8) What were the top five Greenest seats? Wellington Central – 11, 697 party votes Rongotai – 8872 Dunedin – 7001 Mt Albert – 6503 Banks Peninsula – 6022 9) What were Act's top five seats? Selwyn – 4717 party votes Waitaki – 4555 Kaikōura – 4359 Southland – 4371 Rangitīkei – 4204 10) What were NZ First's top five seats Northland – 2351 party votes Whangārei – 2012 Te Tai Tokerau – 1583 Tauranga – 1406 Wairarapa – 1364 11) What was the most unpopular party in the election? HeartlandNZ received the lowest total number of votes in the election, winning just 987 across the country – or 0.0414 per cent of the total vote. In Auckland Central, Maungakiekie and Whanganui the party received no votes. 12) How many women are there now in Parliament? There are now 57 women in New Zealand's Parliament, or 47 per cent of the 120 MPs in the House. That number was significantly bolstered by the number of new women MPs coming into Parliament – 23 out of 40. 13) How many seats are there where a candidate is leading by fewer than 1000 votes? Tāmaki Makaurau – 902 margin Tukituki – 772 Northland – 729 Auckland Central – 492 Invercargill – 685 Maungakiekie – 580 Whangarei – 164 Waiariki – 415 14) How many members of the rainbow community are there in Parliament now? With 11 MPs identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community, New Zealand's Parliament is now the "queerest in the world." 15) How much will the special votes change the outcome? The special votes will most likely give the left bloc in Parliament, Labour and the Greens, another couple of MPs. This would likely mean National will lose at least one MP and the person at the bottom of their list is Maureen Pugh. If this happens, it will mean that for the third time in a row, Maureen Pugh will lose her seat because of the special votes. The other two elections she got back in after other National MPs resigned. 16) Which electorate received the most advanced votes? The Bay of Plenty – it received 29,706 votes early. On Election Day, some 7,084 votes were cast meaning 80.7 per cent of votes cast in the Bay of Plenty were done early. In fact, there was no a single electorate in the country where early voting was not under 55 per cent; the total nation-wide was 70 per cent. 17) Which party had the most advance votes? The Green Party, of which 75.5 per cent were done early. Labour was next with 73.3 per cent, National was 67.1 per cent and Act was 66 per cent. New Zealand First was the lowest, with just 62 per cent. 18) What was the most popular voting centre in New Zealand? The Mall at 185 Main St in the Remutaka electorate was the polling centre which received the highest number of total votes. All up, there were 10,898 votes lodged at the former T&T shop – 10,242 were advance and 656 were done on Election Day. 19) What was the least popular voting centre in New Zealand? The NZ Bloodstock Centre, at 10 Hinau Rd at Port Waikato had the least number of votes cast out of any polling place in the country. There were just 120 votes cast there – 107 were cast early and 13 on Election Day. 20) How many seats did National lose? It depends on how you define the loss. Compared to last election's 56, then its current 35 seats is 21 fewer. It lost 15 electorate seats it previously held, 14 to Labour and one to the Greens (four MPs who lost electorate seats are back in on the list: Gerry Brownlee, David Bennett, Chris Bishop and Nick Smith); five National electorate MPs are out of Parliament, Harete Hipango in Whanganui, Jonathan Young in New Plymouth, Tim Macindoe in Hamilton West, Lawrence Yule in Tukituki and Dan Bidois in North Shore; seven sitting list MPs are out: Kanwaljiit Singh Bakshi, Paulo Garcia, Agnes Loheni, Alfred Ngaro, Brett Hudson, and Jo Hayes. text by Jason Walls and Chris Knox, NZ Herald Tue, 20 Oct 2020 05:55:12 Z /news/vote-2020/judith-collins-fronts-media-after-sombre-caucus-meeting/ /news/vote-2020/judith-collins-fronts-media-after-sombre-caucus-meeting/ National leader Judith Collins has fronted media in Parliament with what appeared to be her entire caucus, vowing "We are going to be a very strong opposition". Collins said she has the full backing of her caucus and "everyone has moved on" from previous leadership coups. "I'm feeling positive about our way forward... Everyone is really focused." Her focus now was on building a "tight" caucus and limit navel gazing. The media stand-up follows a "sombre" first meeting - about four hours - of National's new caucus. The party suffered a devastating loss on Saturday night, losing 20 MPs. The 27 per cent of the vote that the party did win is the second-lowest result in National's history. • FOLLOW OUR LIVEBLOG COVERAGE (STORY CONTINUES UNDER BLOG): Meanwhile, Labour won 49 per cent of the total vote meaning it now has 64 MPs – an outright majority. Collins said today National had a "very good" caucus meeting. They had talked about the party's review - that's a review the caucus would be part of. The structure of that review had not yet been decided. "They would be mostly listening" she said, of the MPs. It will be a way to look forward. She would not say what happened in the meeting but that today was a "far more positive" situation than the bleak meeting of MPs after the 2002 election loss. She relished the opportunity to hold the Government to account. Brownlee on being deputy leader Asked if he was staying on in Parliament, Gerry Brownlee said he would be and that National needed a Christchurch representative. But a decision had not yet been made on the deputy leadership of the party. Collins said Nick Smith would be staying on as an MP. "We believe in freedom of choice in the National Party," she said when asked about if any other MPs were leaving. She said decisions around portfolios will be made after the final vote is counted. But she said she would be taking soundings from her MPs on what roles they would like. A sad day MPs were sad, as they have said goodbye to so many MPs. She said she was been struck by the "immense loyalty" of those outgoing MPs. Collins thanked the MPs who joined her for their contributions and said there were a lot of positive contributions from out going MPs this morning. "It was awe inspiring. "It's onwards and upwards for us." Some of National's former MPs are keen to come back in 2023. But National was not taking anything for granted, Collins said. Collins said she was not expecting any further MPs will leave - but some might leave. She said the caucus was working on a "buddy system" for it's new MPs. The whips are now training the MPs too. Leaker 'should go' National MPs from across the country have been making their way back to Wellington over the past two days. Somed blamed an email leak for the election result. An email from MP Denise Lee to the rest of caucus objected to party leader Judith Collins' decision to announce a review of the Auckland Council – and was leaked to a media outlet. Collins has said cost the party five points at the polls. Collins said today "I don't think we're going to have any issues" when it comes to any further leaks. Asked what her message was to the caucus regarding leaks, she said it was clear everyone has to work well together. At the press conference this afternoon, Lee did not want to comment on the email she sent that was leaked. Outgoing Northcote MP Dan Bidois this morning said the leaker "should go". "Encouraging a culture where people get away with leaks is unacceptable." He said the whole caucus needed to take responsibility for the loss, not just Judith Collins – "this is larger than the leadership". Outgoing MP Maggie Barry – described the election result as "horrible". But a number of other National MPs did not want to speak to media and hustled inside Parliament without commenting. National's caucus met for close to four hours this afternoon. It was an opportunity for some of the outgoing MPs to say their goodbyes to their former colleagues. One such MP was Lawrence Yule, who lost his Tukituki seat on Saturday night. He told media on his way out of Parliament that there were "a lot of speeches and a lot of feeling". He said the mood was "pretty sombre". "You would expect it to be, after a loss like that." But he said National MPs were upbeat about the prospect of having another run at 2023. Collins on Winston Peters Asked if she was glad to see the end of New Zealand First, she said she takes no joy in seeing people lose their jobs. "It is very important that we look towards the future," she said. When she was asked what contributions Winston Peters make over the years, she said the SuperGold card was good. She said his contribution to seniors was to be admired. Asked to describe Peters in one word, she said: "He's just Winston." Asked if she was happy that Jami-Lee Ross was no longer in Parliament, she said the precinct would be better without him.   Tue, 20 Oct 2020 01:09:18 Z /news/vote-2020/jacinda-ardern-says-labours-deputy-pm-will-be-the-deputy-leader/ /news/vote-2020/jacinda-ardern-says-labours-deputy-pm-will-be-the-deputy-leader/ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Deputy PM will be the party's deputy leader but who holds that position is up to the caucus. Currently it is Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis but it is unclear if he wants to remain in the job, as his performance in the role has often been the subject of Opposition attacks. Labour and National are holding their caucus meetings today in what will be a mix of sweet and bitter gatherings. FOLLOW THE NZ HERALD'S LIVEBLOG COVERAGE (STORY CONTINUES UNDER BLOG): This morning Ardern said she had no intention in moving Davis from the deputy leadership but ultimately that would be a caucus decision. "When it comes to the deputy leadership within the Labour Party, I have no intent in changing that. However, all of the role allocation I will work through over the next two weeks - those do go to a vote with our caucus." Ardern and the Labour caucus had a celebration dinner in Wellington last night and squeezed into their old caucus room for perhaps the last time. The caucus is now so big that Parliament's billiard room is likely to be converted to a new Government caucus room. Ardern said she expected to announce any outcome of discussions with the Greens next week, and the following week she would finalise ministerial positions and expect the formal swearing-in process. She again stressed the mandate given to Labour to govern alone, but wouldn't say whether she had ruled out a formal coalition with the Greens. "We do have a very clear mandate but ... I'm interested in areas of cooperation where we can use the strengths that exist in their team." She said a transformational government was one that brought about lasting changes rather than one that implemented radical changes. 'Tell us who you are so we can kick you out' National's caucus will be a sombre affair this morning when retiring MPs and those who lost seats in Parliament will gather for the traditional silver tray ceremony – they will each be presented with one. Surviving and outgoing MPs have started arriving at Parliament this morning with many blaming an email leak for the election result. An email from MP Denise Lee to the rest of caucus objected to party leader Judith Collins' decision to announce a review of the Auckland Council – and was leaked to a media outlet. Collins has said that leak cost them about five points in the polls. Northland MP Matt King urged the leaker to "front up." "Tell us who you are, so we can kick you out." He said the leak had definitely been a factor in National's result, but it was not the only reason for it. He said he had to give credit to Labour for its result. "We have to acknowledge that. It was a decisive victory." He was also nervous about holding onto his own seat of Northland, saying it was "on a knife edge" and special votes usually favoured Labour. He is currently just 729 votes ahead of Labour's Willow Jean Prime, and will not get back on the list if he does not hold the seat. The Government could be formed and sworn in before the final results are declared on November 6. Yesterday, Ardern held talks in the Beehive with Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson yesterday but is not thought to have given them any hope of governing in a coalition. Ardern and her chief of staff, Rajesh Nahna, met Shaw, Davidson and the Green Party chief of staff, Tory Whanau, in preliminary talks. The object was to talk about the future talks, rather than to begin negotiations. There is clear resistance within Labour to enter into any power sharing arrangement - which coalition government entails - when the clear mandate from Saturday's election was for a Labour Government. Neither Ardern nor Shaw would comment yesterday but Shaw has made it repeatedly clear that the party's preference was full coalition – as recently as last week in an interview with the Herald. "Obviously, it depends on the numbers and the deal," said Shaw. "We want to keep the other options on the table but obviously the option that has the greatest influence is coalition. But in her speeches since the election result was clear, Ardern has repeatedly referenced former National supporters who may have voted Labour for the first time ever and the mandate that Labour had won. Ironically some of those who switched may have been indirectly encouraged by National leader Judith Collins in the final days of the campaign with her repeated warnings over a Green Party wealth tax. Some National voters may have thought that was much less likely if Labour did not need the Greens in a coalition. Ardern has said she wants to accelerate Labour's policy programme. Any major policy decisions in the last Government required the support of all three parties, Labour and New Zealand First in coalition, and the Greens, which had a confidence and supply deal with Labour and three ministerial positions outside Cabinet. But there are several other arrangements through which the Greens could win policy concessions, put up Budget proposals and have influence throughout the term of the Government, even if coalition is off the table. It may or may not involve Green MPs as ministers. Formal talks between Labour and the Greens are expected to begin later in the week or even next week. With New Zealand First out of Government – and out of Parliament – Ardern can afford to promote another six Labour MPs to comprise a Cabinet of 20. Labour won an outright majority on Saturday night with its 49.1 per cent bringing in 64 MPs out of 120 – 18 more than last election and 22 new MPs in total, including some replacing retiring MPs. The Greens' 7.6 per cent gives it 10 MPs, two more. New MPs began arriving at Parliament yesterday. Mon, 19 Oct 2020 21:53:23 Z /news/vote-2020/new-zealand-overtakes-the-uks-title-for-the-gayest-parliament/ /news/vote-2020/new-zealand-overtakes-the-uks-title-for-the-gayest-parliament/ New Zealand now holds the title of the gayest Parliament in the world. Saturday's preliminary results show there is likely to be 13 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the 120 members sitting in the next Parliament - boosting the rainbow representation from seven last year after Labour swept in after yesterday's election. The overall rainbow representation will be at 10 per cent - providing the Green Party is successful holding on to its preliminary 11 seats - bypassing the UK which holds the current title of the gayest Parliament with a 7 per cent representation. In the UK there are 45 openly gay members in the 650-member House of Commons. Meanwhile the openly gay MPs in New Zealand's recently elected Parliament include Labour's incumbents Grant Robertson, Louisa Wall, Meka Whaitiri, Tamati Coffey and Kiri Allan and newcomers Ayesha Verrall, Shanan Halbert and Glen Bennett. They will be joined by openly gay Green Party member and spokeswoman for Rainbow issues Jan Logie, Chloe Swarbrick, Elizabeth Kerekere and Ricardo Menendez. About 40 per cent of the Green Party MPs are from the rainbow community. However if the special votes result in the Green Party losing seats then Elizabeth Kerekere and Ricardo Menendez who are current ranked 9 and 10 respectively could lose their seats, therefore lowering the LGBT representation to a minimum of nine members. Neither Act or National Party currently have any openly gay MPs in their parties. Auckland Pride director Max Tweedie said this is something those parties will have to look at come next election. "I think it's the responsibility of every party that they are reflective of the country they want to serve. I think they have to take a good hard look at themselves if they don't have any representation in their caucuses." Tweedie said that this increase in representation matters, and hopes that it means progress on rainbow policy. "The last time we had a big, significant policy win for rainbow communities was back in 2013 when marriage equality passed into law." He said there has been little progress over the last three years.  Tweedie hopes to see a ban on conversion therapy passed quickly, as it is already the subject of a members bill. Labour and the Greens both committed to passing a ban on the practice during the campaign.  Other areas where he hopees progress is made include the funding for rainbow mental health services and greater access to health care for transgender and intersex people.  The Green Party wanted to introduce an Office for Rainbow Communities, a policy that may not make it across the line now that Labour has an outright majority. Tweedie said an office would create visibility for the rainbow communities, and an office could help streamline funding and create a hub for government policy.  "We've got a massive wishlist of advancements we'd like to make for the rainbow community, and because they are across all areas of government, what we see is that the ministries aren't flagging it as a top priority."  Inside Out managing director Tabby Besley said it was a wonderful to see New Zealand holding the international title and was great to have the rainbow community's voices and issues considered by people with lived experience. She said not only did they have a rainbow member who held a really prominent position in Labour Grant Robertson, but there was also the new addition to the Green's with Elizabeth Kerekere who had been campaigning on rainbow issues. "I think for our communities a lot of us know she will be waving the flag as one of her main priorities whereas I guess many MPs might have other portfolios or some people may not want their rainbow identity to be the main thing they talk about because they are just doing their job like other people. At least with her position we know she's not going to be shy around raising these issues so that is quite exciting. Besley said things were relatively slow-moving for the rainbow community over the last term and they would like to see policies such as the ban on conversion therapy actioned swiftly. University of Waikato senior lecturer in psychology and president of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa Dr Jaimie Veale hoped a larger representation of the rainbow community in Parliament would result in more progress as believed there had not been enough during the past two terms. Veale also wanted to see some recognition on rainbow people's rights such as health equities and make it easier for transgender people to have legal gender recognition which had stalled under a NZ First minister. "Thinking of the transgender - we are hopeful that the current make-up of Parliament will be more responsive to our needs now." Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:19:55 Z /news/vote-2020/jacinda-ardern-meets-greens-leaders-about-government-discussions-time-frame/ /news/vote-2020/jacinda-ardern-meets-greens-leaders-about-government-discussions-time-frame/ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has finished her first meeting with Green Party leaders, after her landslide election win on Saturday night. A spokesman for Ardern said the Prime Minister had spoken with the party's leadership this afternoon, but it was not a post-election negotiation conversation. Rather, it was a general conversation about the election result and the timeframe for ongoing discussions between the two parties. This comes after Ardern yesterday did not rule out working with the Greens during this term of Government. She said the Government would be formed within the next two or three weeks. "You know, and everyone will have seen, that I have been a consensus builder, but I also need to work with the mandate that Labour has been given as well, and I have said to the Greens that I will talk to them next week," she said. But she said she didn't want to draw any conclusions at this point. "What is clear is that we do have that mandate to press ahead and form Government, but at the same time, I have worked to build consensus over the past." Labour won an outright majority on Saturday night. It's 49.1 per cent means the party gets 64 MPs in the House. In the 2017 election, Ardern needed the support of both the Greens and NZ First to form a Government. That mean she had to do deals with both parties. For example, NZ First got a number of Cabinet Ministers and some key policies like the Provincial Growth Fund in its coalition deal. The Greens provided Confidence and Supply to Labour and also got some Ministerial portfolios and policies the party had been pushing for. This time around, however, Labour does not need to do a deal with the Greens. However, Ardern may choose to do one anyway and that is what will be discussed over the next couple of weeks.   Mon, 19 Oct 2020 04:16:49 Z /news/vote-2020/aussies-hit-back-after-the-australian-columnist-slams-inept-ardern/ /news/vote-2020/aussies-hit-back-after-the-australian-columnist-slams-inept-ardern/ Days before the election, The Australian newspaper took aim at Jacinda Ardern when their foreign editor said she was a "poor Prime Minister" and undeserving of her widespread acclaim. Now that Ardern has been returned in a landslide, the paper has had another crack - and it hasn't gone down well, even with their own countrymen. Gideon Rozner, of the conservative, free-market think-tank The Institute of Public Affairs said that Ardern was "incompetent" and posed "danger across the ditch" in the widely-panned column. "Jacinda Ardern is perhaps the worst person to lead New Zealand through this economic turbulence," Rozner wrote, deigning to describe her response to disasters as "admirable" but labelling her implementation of policy as "hopeless". "Labour will likely exacerbate New Zealand's economic woes," he added. "Hiking income tax, re-regulating the industrial relations system and a bloodcurdling plan for 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030 could turn the corona-induced economic shock into a permanent state of impoverishment for thousands of Kiwis." But online many Australians were quick to skewer Rozner for his take, saying it was "ridiculous". Others broadened their criticism to the newspaper itself and its controversial owner, Rupert Murdoch. After sharing his column on his own Twitter account, skiting that it was trending, many were quick to point out the views on his column weren't coming from like-minds. "They are laughing at you Giddy ..." said one Twitter user. "Trending because your article was inept not because your opinion is correct," said another. Last week The Australian raised the ire of New Zealanders when their foreign editor Greg Sheridan wrote: "No international halo is so shabby, or so fraudulent, as that worn by New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern." After a similar backlash online Sheridan defended his remarks, saying she had not delivered on policy and her international appeal was purely symbolic. "Time magazine and Vogue and so on, they're not saying 'look what a wonderful job she's done with the economy', otherwise they'd have made John Key a celebrity," he told 九一星空无限talk ZB.   Mon, 19 Oct 2020 02:13:03 Z /news/vote-2020/spotlight-on-wellington/spotlight-on-wellington-what-the-election-means-for-wellington/ /news/vote-2020/spotlight-on-wellington/spotlight-on-wellington-what-the-election-means-for-wellington/ In this Spotlight on Wellington special, Georgina Campbell and Katrina Bennett dissect some of the more interesting results from the Wellington electorates, and discuss what they mean for the likes of Let's Get Wellington Moving, housing - and even the Johnsonville Mall. Wellington has voted overwhelmingly in support of Labour - the whole lower North Island has turned red. Stand-outs include Otaki where Labour newcomer Terisa Ngobi ousted National's Tim Costley - Wairarapa where Labour's Kieran McAnulty was victorious - and of course, Hutt South, one of the closest battles in the country, with Labour's Ginny Andersen wresting it from National's Chris Bishop. Anderson and Bishop join them to discuss the results, alongside Ōhāriu’s MP Greg O’Connor. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 19 Oct 2020 02:01:40 Z /news/vote-2020/what-went-wrong-for-national-and-why-their-greens-wealth-tax-attacks-were-a-mistake/ /news/vote-2020/what-went-wrong-for-national-and-why-their-greens-wealth-tax-attacks-were-a-mistake/ Just about everything went wrong with the National Party's campaign from rolling Simon Bridges, insulting fat people and the a full-blown assault on the Greens' wealth tax, says an experienced campaigner. Former Labour Party president Mike Williams said the campaign was a disaster. "I have never seen a worse campaign run by a political party and I've been involved in 40 elections in Australia and New Zealand." National suffered a devastating defeat in the election on Saturday, losing 20 MPs by securing just 26.8 per cent of the vote and winning 26 electorate seats. It was its worst defeat since 2002. Leader Judith Collins likened her task as taking over the leadership as a "hospital pass" while her deputy Gerry Brownlee - who lost his Ilam seat - said National had a "shocker of a year". Collins said the party always reviewed its campaigns after elections and said this year's one would be "very thorough" and the terms of the review will be decided by the party's board. Party president Peter Goodfellow, who's been in the job since 2009, is up for re-election next month but Williams said it was time for him to go and be replaced with someone new. National was always going to have an uphill battle up against an incredibly popular Prime Minister but it then made a lot of bad decisions, said Williams. For starters, rolling Bridges was a mistake and the result of poll-driven panic after adulation was heaped on Jacinda Ardern for leading the country through the Covid-19 response and lockdown. National should have kept their nerve but then they chose the wrong leader by picking Todd Muller who quickly stood down because of his mental health. But the caucus should have recognised he wasn't suited for the role. "Instability in political parties is the smell of death to a lot of voters." "Then they did some really silly things - two examples in the last week was attacking fat people which is thirty per cent of the population. I've never seen anything like that. You've got to be just loopy." The week of the election, Collins caused outrage by describing obesity as a weakness and saying people should not "blame systems for personal choices" after being asked about it on the campaign trail. As well, Williams said the continued attacks on the Green Party's wealth tax "drove some soft National people to vote Labour". That would explain why so many unexpected deep blue seats flipped to red, like Ilam and Taranaki-King Country, said Williams. He pointed to centre-right Mediaworks personality Mark Richardson saying he was considering voting Labour to keep the Greens away from the Cabinet table. And there appeared to be a lack of enthusiasm on the ground when it was clear they weren't going to win - but they could have lessened the loss, Williams said. Former campaign chair Paula Bennett, who stood down at the election after being ousted as deputy alongside Bridges, also said National was disorganised and didn't have a clear plan. "I think that people had a reason to vote for Labour and that was the Prime Minister's popularity, they got us through Covid, they only had three years and they were very good at articulating that and I'm not sure that National articulated well and clearly enough the alternative." She told TVNZ's Breakfast she'd been working on a strategy for about 12 months before it "went out the door" when the job was taken off her but refused to say whether she thought the party would have done better under her and Bridges. Bennett said the change of leadership "was the start of the end". "There's no two ways about it." She commended Collins for the job she did and said the caucus should keep her as leader. "Right now is the time for National to take a damn good look at itself and I think that picking off individuals and trying to do blame that way is not going to be helpful for them at all." National Party whip Matt Doocey said the result could be traced all the way back to the ill-discipline of Jami-Lee Ross who leaked Bridges' travel expenses, then called him corrupt before standing down and being expelled on the same day. They then went through the scandals of Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker leaking Covid-19 patient details in June, then Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon resigning in July over sending explicit images to young women. As well the party went through two leadership changes in quick succession. "If you don't look like you can manage yourself, no one's going to trust you managing the country," Doocey said. Doocey said there was a culture of leaking in the party which would be addressed in the review. They would then need to reset then focus, he said. "Because this job is about the people we serve in the country - it's not about us." Mon, 19 Oct 2020 01:59:52 Z /news/vote-2020/election-2020-the-forty-newcomers-entering-parliament/ /news/vote-2020/election-2020-the-forty-newcomers-entering-parliament/ Our 40 new MPs are a diverse bunch, including our first African, Latin American and Sri Lankan Members of Parliament. Only our first election under the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996 has brought in more new faces in recent times - 45. This time the big swing to Labour was compounded by the retirement of 12 National MPs and six from other parties, and the wipe-out of New Zealand First's nine-strong caucus. Here are the newcomers of 2020: Labour Camilla Belich, List Camilla Belich (right), then working on equal pay issues for the CTU, presented flowers to Green MP Jan Logie in 2016 to mark 123 years since NZ women won the right to vote. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour's Epsom candidate and new list MP Camilla Belich, 37, is an employment lawyer and a former co-president of the NZ University Students' Association. She and husband Andrew Kirton, a former general secretary of the Labour Party who now works for Air NZ, live in central Auckland with their two primary-school-aged children. Belich started her career with Wellington law firm Oakley Moran, then moved to London in 2009 where she worked first for a law firm and then for Britain's biggest trade union, Unison, from 2012 to 2016. She returned to Wellington to join boutique law firm Bartlett Law in 2017, but quickly moved back into working for unions, first on equal pay issues at the NZ Council of Trade Unions from 2016 to last year, and most recently for the Public Service Association in Auckland. Glen Bennett, New Plymouth Glen Bennett has won New Plymouth for Labour. Photo / Supplied Election victory capped a big 12 months for New Plymouth's new MP Glen Bennett, who proposed to his fiance Jon O'Neill on stage at a Troy Kingi concert last November. Bennett, who turns 45 this year, grew up in the Salvation Army and says his work for the Army brought him to New Plymouth 20 years ago. He leads the Taranaki branch of Incedo, formerly known as Youth for Christ. He has worked in community development, social enterprise and restorative justice, is a registered celebrant, and has been a long-term foster parent. He was lead facilitator for the Taranaki 2050 roadmap developed to plan the region's transition away from its oil and gas industries towards a low-emissions future. Rachel Boyack, Nelson Before her win Nelson's Rachel Boyack was a choir singer and union organiser. Photo / Supplied Rachel Boyack has won the Nelson seat for Labour on her second attempt, after the centre-left vote in the seat was split by a strong Green vote in 2017. She is a former student president at the Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology, worked as Nelson organiser for First Union and most recently as health and safety co-ordinator for Nelson's Anglican Diocese. She joined the Labour Party in 2005 and chairs the party's policy council. She is also a trained singer with a music degree from Auckland University, was a member of the NZ Youth Choir and sang with the Nelson Cathedral Choir. She lives in Nelson with her husband Scott. Rachel Brooking, List New Dunedin Labour list MP Rachel Brooking was a member of the panel that reviewed the Resource Management Act. Photo / Supplied Dunedin environmental lawyer Rachel Brooking, 44, failed in a run for Labour's nomination for the new Taieri electorate this year but has been swept into Parliament at number 46 on Labour's party list. She has a degree in ecology, was president of the Otago University Students' Association in 1997 and has worked as an environmental lawyer in Dunedin and London. She was appointed to the boards of the Otago University Bookshop from 2010 and of Dunedin Airport last year. She chairs the Otago/Southland branch of the Resource Management Law Association and was a member of the panel led by Justice Tony Randerson appointed by the Ardern Government to review the Resource Management Act. She and husband Dr Chris Jackson, medical director of the Cancer Society, live in Dunedin and have three school-aged children. Naisi Chen, List Young Labour vice-president Naisi Chen enters Parliament aged just 26. Photo / Supplied Chinese-born Naisi Chen, 26, is one of the youngest new MPs, losing to National's Chris Luxon in the safe National seat of Botany but coming into Parliament at number 38 on the Labour list. She came to New Zealand aged 5 and was educated at Westlake Girls' High School and Auckland University, where she studied law and she was president of the NZ Chinese Students' Association in 2016. The Spinoff reports that he father is a Christian pastor and her mother is a doctor. Her Labour profile says she is the director of a business consultancy firm specialising in employment relations and human resources. She sits on the board of Foundation North, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation. She is the vice-president Young Labour and is on the youth advisory group of Philanthropy NZ. Barbara Edmonds, Mana Barbara Edmonds has worked as a tax adviser for Judith Collins, Michael Woodhouse and Stuart Nash. Photo / Supplied Tax lawyer Barbara Edmonds is already familiar with the Beehive after a public service career, mainly in Inland Revenue, which has included secondments to the offices of National ministers Judith Collins and Michael Woodhouse and Labour's Stuart Nash. Tagata Pasifika reports that her parents came from Samoa in 1978. She grew up on Auckland's North Shore and attended Carmel College and Auckland University. She met her Ngāpuhi husband Chris and fell pregnant in her second year at university and told Tagata Pasifika: "By the time I finished my law and arts degrees about five and a half years later, I was pregnant with baby number five." She and Chris now have eight children and live in Titahi Bay. Edmonds' Labour profile says she has coached and managed children's rugby, tag, athletics, netball and surf lifesaving, and is a member of the board of trustees for Mana College. Shanan Halbert, Northcote Shanan Halbert's victory was bittersweet when his father died on election day. Photo / Alex Burton It was third time lucky for Labour's Northcote candidate Shanan Halbert, who lost to former National Health Minister Jonathan Coleman in 2017 and to new National candidate Dan Bidois after Coleman resigned in 2018. The victory was bittersweet because Halbert's father died on election day, aged 80. Halbert, who was 35 when re-selected in 2018, grew up in Napier in the same region as Ōmahu Marae, where his father's tangi is taking place. His LinkedIn profile shows that he has a BA in Education from Auckland University and a Certificate in Contemporary Performing Arts from AUT. He has been a relationship manager at AUT, a theatre producer for the Massive Theatre Company, a special projects manager for Northcote's now-defunct Hato Petera College, worked for Labour MP Peeni Henare and has worked at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa for the past five years, most recently as head of student experience. He lives with his partner Anthony Jordan and has been a member of the Aids Foundation's Māori advisory board for the past 10 years. Ingrid Leary, Taieri New Taieri MP Ingrid Leary is a former journalist and NZ manager for the British Council. Photo / Supplied Former journalist Ingrid Leary beat off two challengers to win the Labour selection for the new seat of Taieri, despite only moving to the area last November after working as Auckland-based NZ manager for the British Council. The new seat takes in most of the old Dunedin South electorate plus rural areas from the Clutha seat. Leary, 52, took some flak during the campaign because she spent the first lockdown this year on Waiheke Island with her 6-year-old son. Her journalistic career includes a 2007 Media Peace Award for documentaries on Pacific Island women living with HIV/Aids. Dr Neru Leavasa, Takanini Dr Neru Leavasa has been a team doctor for the Blues and Manu Samoa. Photo / Supplied Former rugby team doctor Neru Leavasa has run an innovative fitness-based Christian healthcare service, VO2 Healthcare, in Māngere for the past five years. Leavasa has a medical degree and a postgraduate sports medicine diploma from Auckland University and has been a team doctor for the Manukau Rovers women's rugby team, the Auckland Colts, the Pacific Barbarians, Ponsonby Rugby, Papatoetoe Wildcats, the Blues and Manu Samoa. He was also the ringside physician for boxer David Tua. His website says he founded VO2, a medical term referring to oxygen uptake, after running a school-based fitness challenge at South Auckland intermediate schools in 2009. He also runs a virtual health service, The Waiting Room. Steph Lewis, Whanganui Steph Lewis resolved to study law after seeing her parents' savings disappear on lawyer's fees. Photo / Bevan Conley. Steph Lewis, 32, says she resolved to become a lawyer after her parents bought land near Whanganui intending to build a house and had to spend their savings instead on lawyer's fees because of roading issues. She has since worked in Wellington for ACC, the Privacy Commissioner and the Customs Service, but returned to Whanganui to campaign for the seat unsuccessfully in 2017 before finally winning on the Ardern tide. She now lives in the city with her young family. Anna Lorck, Tukituki Anna Lorck has run a public relations company in Havelock North with her husband for 18 years. Photo / Supplied New Tukituki MP Anna Lorck and her husband, Hastings District Councillor Damon Harvey, have run a public relations business in Havelock North since 2003, building up a network of community groups. "We're proud to be involved with the likes of the Hawke's Bay Basketball Academy (developing youth), The Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sport Trust, Sport Hawke's Bay, Hawke's Bay Rugby, among many others," they say on their website. Lorck served eight years on the board of the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce and is an elected member of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board. She and Harvey have five daughters. Dr Tracey McLellan, Banks Peninsula Dr Tracey McLellan has a doctorate in psychology. Photo / Supplied McLellan has a PhD in psychology, worked in clinical research on traumatic brain injuries, and is now an organiser for the Nurses Organisation. She is also the Labour Party's senior vice-president. The mother-of-two grew up in a state house in Southland and has lived in Christchurch since 2002. Terisa Ngobi, Ōtaki Terisa Ngobi has worked in social service roles for 15 years. Photo / Supplied Terisa Ngobi was born and raised in Levin and says she's a proud Horowhenua local of Samoan and Scottish descent. She studied public policy and Pasifika Studies at Victoria University and worked for 15 years in social service roles in housing, education, welfare, mental health and disabilities. She met her husband Henry, who is from Uganda, while living in Britain. They have three young boys. Ibrahim Omer, List Ibrahim Omer becomes New Zealand's first African MP. Photo / Supplied Ibrahim Omer becomes New Zealand's second MP who came here as a refugee, fleeing his home country of Eritrea in 2003 into neighbouring Sudan. He worked as an interpreter in refugee camps before he was detained on suspicion of being a spy, when the United Nations stepped in and he was offered the chance to come to New Zealand. He worked as a cleaner at Wellington's Victoria University where he also studied full time while working. He has also worked as a union organiser for E tū and chaired the Changemakers Resettlement Forum. Sarah Pallett, Ilam Sarah Pallett is a midwifery lecturer at Ara Institute of Technology. Photo / Supplied The midwifery lecturer at Ara Institute of Technology was previously a community midwife. She co-founded the Canterbury Women's Branch of the Labour Party, which she chairs, and is co-chair of the Labour Women's Council. Pallett lives in Ilam with her partner, Andy, and has two daughters who are both at university. Angela Roberts, List Angela Roberts is a former president of the Post Primary Teachers Association. Photo / John Stone Former Post Primary Teachers Association president Angela Roberts, 51, has taught economics and drama for more than 20 years, most recently at Stratford High School. She has been involved in the Government's Just Transition project to ease Taranaki into a new economy after oil and gas wind down. She lives in Tariki with husband Ian Anglesey, also a teacher, and their two children aged 16 and 11. Dr Gaurav Sharma, Hamilton West Dr Gaurav Sharma has worked on health issues in several countries and founded a medical device and software start-up company. Photo / Supplied Dr Gaurav Sharma came to New Zealand from India as a child, attended Auckland Grammar and earned a medical; degree at Auckland University. The Nawton local GP lives in Frankton and has previously been involved in public health, policy and consulting in New Zealand, Spain, USA, Nepal, Vietnam, Switzerland and Mongolia. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the George Washington University in Washington DC where he got a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He founded a medical device and software start-up developing remote access healthcare systems. Sharma is a former board member of the Auckland Refugee Council and advocated for doubling of the refugee quotas for years before it became Labour Party policy. Tangi Utikere, Palmerston North Palmerston North deputy mayor Tangi Utikere becomes one of two MPs of Cook Islands descent in the city, along with new Green MP Teanau Tuiono. Photo / Supplied Palmerston North deputy mayor Tangi Utikere becomes one of two Palmerston North-based MPs of Cook Islands descent, along with new Green MP Teanau Tuiono. He is a former history teacher and is a Justice of the Peace, marriage celebrant and chair of a school's board of trustees. He was born, raised and still lives in Palmerston North. Dr Ayesha Verrall, List Dr Ayesha Verrall is an expert on infectious diseases. Photo / File Infectious diseases expert Dr Ayesha Verrall became a household name during the Covid response when she pushed the Government on contact tracing and audited the Health Ministry's systems. Although her mother is from the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, Verrall was born in Invercargill and her work has taken her to Singapore, Indonesia and Peru, and she was elected to the Capital and Coast DHB last year. She becomes a list MP based in Wellington, and lives with her partner Alice and their daughter. Vanushi Walters, Upper Harbour Former Youthlaw general manager Vanushi Walters becomes New Zealand's first Sri Lanka-born MP. Photo / Supplied Former Youthlaw general manager Vanushi Walters becomes New Zealand's first Sri Lankan-born MP. She came here with her parents when she was 5, studied law at Auckland University, and worked at Youthlaw for six years until 2018. She has also been a board member of Amnesty International and senior manager at the Human Rights Commission. She and her husband Rhys Walters have three boys: Elliott, Luka and Sacha. Helen White Helen White has finally entered Parliament on Labour's list despite losing Auckland Central. Photo / Brett Phibbs. The employment lawyer has worked for a variety of unions including EPMU and the Amalgamated Workers Union. She has volunteered on a number of boards including the AUT workplace research institute and the AUSA advisory board. The mother-of-three failed to win Auckland Central but has entered Parliament at number 48 on the Labour list. Arena Williams, Manurewa Former Auckland University Students Association president Arena Williams is Labour's youngest new MP. Photo / Supplied Labour's youngest new MP, former Auckland University Students' Association president Arena Williams, 24, took over the Manurewa candidacy when sitting MP Louisa Wall opted to move onto the list. Williams grew up in Papakura and affiliates to Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tūhoe. She has worked in corporate law firms and as a community organiser. National Nicola Grigg, Selwyn Former journalist Nicola Grigg worked for Simon Bridges and Sir Bill English before winning the Selwyn seat herself. Photo / Supplied Former radio journalist Nicola Grigg "jumped the fence" in 2014 to become a press secretary, first for then-Energy Minister Simon Bridges and then for Sir Bill English. She moved to become a portfolio manager for NZ Trade and Enterprise in Christchurch. and beat off two rivals last year to win the National selection to replace retiring Selwyn MP Amy Adams. Joseph Mooney, Southland Joseph Mooney built a law practice in Queenstown before entering Parliament. Photo / Supplied Queenstown lawyer Joseph Mooney, 41, was a last-minute choice as National candidate for the safe seat of Southland after former MP Hamish Walker resigned after sending private details of people with Covid-19 to media. Mooney was born in Hawke's Bay, earned a law degree at Waikato University, and has built up a law practice in Southland and Otago, and is also an army reservist and volunteer firefighter. He lives in Queenstown with his wife Silvia and their three children. Penny Simmonds, Invercargill Penny Simmonds was chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology for 23 years before becoming MP for Invercargill. Photo / Supplied Penny Simmonds gave up her role as chief executive of the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) to stand for National in Invercargill, and will now use Parliament to continue the fight against Labour's merger of all the country's polytechnics into one national institute. She had been at SIT for 30 years, the last 23 as chief executive, leading its zero-fees policy that attracted students from throughout the country. She has also been chair of Hockey Southland, a board member of the Southland District Health Board and has served on a host of other community organisations. Simon Watts, North Shore Simon Watts, a former deputy chief financial officer for the Waitematā District Health Board, is also a St John ambulance volunteer. Photo / Supplied Accountant Simon Watts worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Britain before bringing his family back to New Zealand in 2013 to join the Counties Manukau District Health Board. He later moved to the Waitematā health board and became its deputy chief financial officer. He has also been a volunteer St John ambulance officer, studied emergency medicine, and now co-ordinates other volunteers. Christopher Luxon, Botany Christopher Luxon, the former chief executive of Air New Zealand and now National Party MP for Botany. Photo / File Christopher Luxon was already a well-known name before he entered politics, having taken over from Rob Fyfe as the CEO of Air New Zealand in 2012. He also served as the head of Jacinda Ardern's business advisory committee, a role he gave up when he quit Air New Zealand in September last year. Luxon was selected as National's candidate for the safe seat of Botany, after Jami-Lee Ross quit the party in his public falling out with Simon Bridges.Luxon has already been tipped as a future National Party leader, a role he did not rule out while on the campaign trail. Act Chris Baillie, List Chris Baillie is a police officer turned special needs teacher who plays jazz and owns a pub on the side. Photo / Supplied Chris Baillie, 58, is a former police officer who is now a special needs teacher at Nayland College in Nelson and also owns a pub, The Honest Lawyer. He says he is not a gun owner but opposed the firearms reforms and "hate speech" laws proposed after last year's Christchurch mosque attacks. Ranked fourth on the Act list, he also plays the trumpet in two Nelson jazz bands and once played in the Rodger Fox Big Band. Mark Cameron, List Mark Cameron has lived and farmed around the Northland region for around 30 years. Photo / Jenny Ling Ruawai dairy farmer Mark Cameron, ranked eighth on Act's list, says he stood for Act because the rural sector has been let down by successive governments. He grew up in Auckland, attended Auckland Grammar and did an agriculture diploma at Waikato Polytechnic. He worked on a succession of farms for more than 20 years before buying his own farm six years ago. He and his partner Jodie have three children. Karen Chhour, List Karen Chhour runs a business consultancy on the North Shore. Photo / Supplied Upper Harbour candidate Karen Chhour is a self-employed mother of four who has lived on Auckland's North Shore for 30 years. Chhour, ranked seventh on the Act list, operates a business consultancy, Kazzer Services Ltd. Simon Court, List Engineer Simon Court wants to improve opportunities for people with disabilities such as his son Louis, who has Down syndrome. Photo / Supplied Act's fifth-ranked list MP Simon Court is an environmental engineer who stood partly to advocate for people with disabilities such as his son Louis, 13, who has Down syndrome. He told the Herald in August that he used to work for Auckland Council and asked if Louis could work with some of the maintenance crew, but was refused. He was educated at Auckland Grammar and Unitec and has worked as an engineer in the public and private sectors in Auckland, Wellington and Fiji. He stood for Act in Te Atatū. Dr James McDowall, List Dr James McDowall has a doctorate in strategic foresight. Photo / Supplied Dr James McDowall, Act's sixth-ranked MP, has a doctorate in marketing and strategic foresight from Waikato University. McDowall, 32, is digital team lead for the Wise social services group in Hamilton, co-owns Online Immigration Lawyers with his wife, a lawyer, and runs a strategic foresight consultancy on the side. He and his wife live in Hamilton with their 2-year-old daughter. Nicole McKee, List Nicole McKee is a spokeswoman for the Council of Licenced Firearm Owners. Photo / Lewis Gardner Nicole McKee was already well known as the public voice of the Council of Licenced Firearm Owners when she agreed in June to stand for Act in the Wellington seat of Rongotai and as third on its party list. McKee, 48, was born in Lower Hutt, moved to Rotorua in her early teens, worked as a secretary in the law firm of former Rotorua MP Paul East and Roger Brewster for four years, then returned to Wellington. She became pregnant at age 24 but her partner died in a car accident just a week before their daughter was born. Three years later she met her husband, and they have had three children – her four kids are aged 23, 19, 18 and 16. Her husband first introduced her to target shooting about 20 years ago. Toni Severin, List Toni Severin is a Christchurch firearm owner who has campaigned for Act in the past five elections. Photo / Supplied Ninth-ranked list candidate Toni Severin, who stood for Act in Christchurch East, is also a licensed firearm owner and has been involved in the last five Act campaigns. Severin worked as a laboratory technician for 15 years and now runs a waterblasting business with her husband. Damien Smith, List Damien Smith provides "strategic advice and structured finance solutions to businesses and family private offices". Photo / Supplied Auckland business adviser Damien Smith, who stood for Act in Botany, ranked tenth on the party list so just scraped into Parliament on the swing to Act. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has been a director since 2003 of The Markets Group, which provides "strategic advice and structured finance solutions to businesses and family private offices". Smith has also worked for ASB and Macquarie Capital, arranged private equity for libertine firms and was a director and investor in ASX-listed Adherium Ltd. He is originally from Northern Ireland and has a 17-year-old daughter. Brooke van Velden Act Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden worked on the campaign for the End of Life Choice Act. Photo / Mike Scott Act's deputy leader Brooke van Velden, 27, has been working for leader David Seymour on his End of Life Choice Act. She grew up on Auckland's North Shore, got into politics while studying at university, and stood for Act in 2017 in Auckland Central. She wrote the party policy on mental health, advocating redirecting the $2 billion now spent through the Ministry of Health and district health boards to a single commission to reduce bureaucracy. Greens Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, List Dr Elizabeth Kerekere wrote a doctoral study on the diverse sexuality of pre-colonial Māori. Photo / Paul Taylor Kerekere, from Gisborne, is a lifelong activist, visual artist and academic. She wrote her PhD on the diverse sexuality of pre-colonial Māori. She is now a consultant and adviser on Treaty of Waitangi relations, with a particular focus on suicide prevention and violence prevention. Kerekere, who identifies as lesbian, is also heavily involved in LGBT activism. She has run in the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat twice, placing third both times. Ricardo Menendez March, List Ricardo Menendez March, ranked tenth on the Greens' list, will be our first Latin American MP if he survives the special votes count. Photo / Supplied A first-generation Mexican immigrant who came to New Zealand in 2006, Menendez March will be our first Latin American MP if he gets into Parliament once the final votes are counted. His experience of low-paid work as a projectionist at Balmoral's Capitol Cinema - automation meant his job was disestablished and he could not claim a benefit - influenced his shift into welfare advocacy work. As an advocate for Auckland Action Against Poverty, the 32 year-old has been highly critical of the Labour-led Government's failure to lift benefits and build enough state houses. He would not pull his punches once in Parliament, saying unapologetic, authentic voices were needed more than ever. Teanau Tuiono, List Teanau Tuiono is the Greens' first Pasifika MP. Photo / Mark Mitchell. Tuiono, from Palmerston North, is the Greens' first Pasifika MP. He is a veteran activist in the areas of indigenous rights, climate change and education for minorities, and has worked as an education consultant, at the United Nations, and for several NGOs. He ran for mayor in Palmerston North last year and placed second. Tuiono is married with four children. Māori Party Rawiri Waititi, Waiariki Rawiri Waititi switched to the Māori Party in 2016 after King Tūheitia called for an independent Māori political voice. Photo / Supplied. Rawiri Waititi, 39, stood for Labour in Waiariki in 2014 but switched to the Māori Party in 2016 after King Tūheitia called for an independent Māori political voice. He spent his childhood in the rural East Coast, immersed in the reo and tikanga, attending kohanga reo, before moving to Auckland as a teenager for school. He trained and worked as a teacher, and has also been a lecturer at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, where he completed a master's degree in mātauranga Māori. He's worked in a range of Māori organisations, sat on various boards and councils, and most recently has been working with his iwi Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.   Sun, 18 Oct 2020 07:29:27 Z /news/vote-2020/opinion-with-a-mandate-to-govern-alone-labour-must-now-decide-what-it-really-stands-for/ /news/vote-2020/opinion-with-a-mandate-to-govern-alone-labour-must-now-decide-what-it-really-stands-for/ A pandemic can change the foundations of a society. But if this happens in New Zealand over the next three years, it will be for reasons beyond the control of the sixth Labour government. When it comes to the fundamental structure of state and economy, Labour is broadly committed to the status quo. This was confirmed on election night when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, wearing a Labour red dress before a National blue background, declared: “We will be a party that governs for every New Zealander.” In times of upset, people yearn for normality — and Ardern’s Labour Party was awarded a landslide for achieving something close to this. The risk of a further COVID-19 outbreak is ever present, as today’s announcement of a community transmission case in Auckland reminded us. Nevertheless, international spectators view our pandemic response with a wistful gaze. At a time when many nations went sour on liberal democracy and rolled the populist dice, New Zealand appears on the world stage like a tribute act to third-way politics, a nostalgic throwback to the relative sanity and stability of the long 1990s. Yet for many people who live in Aotearoa New Zealand, the status quo isn’t working, and hasn’t for some time. These tensions are only intensifying. Housing unaffordability is on the rise again, with implications for wealth inequality and deprivation. This is compounded further by the cascading economic effects of the global pandemic and unconventional manoeuvres in monetary policy that are pushing house prices higher. Without remedial action, this inequality will leave New Zealand society more exposed to future shocks, not only from COVID-19, but also the multiplying risks of climate change, biodiversity collapse, digital disruption and international instability. Inequality ensures uneven impacts, a recipe for further discontent and conflict. No party for ideologues Even from a purely electoral perspective, the Labour Party can’t afford inaction. It is easy to forget how precarious the prime minister’s position was at the beginning of the year. She could boast enough policy wins to stack an early campaign video, yet hadn’t pulled a fiscal lever large enough to convince the public that her government was truly “transformational”. Entering a second term, her policy agenda is more recognisable by what she won’t do than what she will — no capital gains tax, no wealth tax, indeed no new taxes at all beyond a tweak for the highest earners. This leaves us with the longstanding conundrum of what the Labour Party is and what it really stands for these days. Ardern and her colleagues are not ideologues, but no politics is without ideology — a system of ideas, values and beliefs that orients its efforts. I’ve argued in the past that Ardern’s government has a spirit of civic republicanism. This has met with reasonable scepticism, yet in the midst of the pandemic it feels more relevant than ever. With borders drastically restricted, and old allies going wayward, there is a renewed sense of separateness, of independence in the world. Might the pandemic seal New Zealand’s fate as the Commonwealth of Oceana, as a 21st century version of 17th century English republican John Harrington’s utopian island? Kindness as a political virtue The first symptom of republicanism belongs to Ardern herself. She is the active citizen par excellence. She embodies civic commitment and public-spiritedness, along with a good dose of humility. Even in emergencies, she remains one of us: primus inter pares, “first among equals”. Analysts of Ardern’s political leadership emphasise her openness, honesty, self-discipline, empathy and, above all, her authenticity. For civic republicans, the exercise of such virtues is the lifeblood of public life. Indeed, insofar as Ardern has a distinctive political agenda, it is centred on the virtue of kindness. Arguably, this has displaced the more principled commitments that might guide substantive structural reform. But kindness also provided vital emotional leadership in the raw moments following the Christchurch mosque attacks and the outset of the pandemic. As the 18th century philosopher Montesquieu said, “Virtue in a republic is a most simple thing: it is a love of the republic.” Few could doubt Ardern’s devotion to the nation. But for the Labour Party, as for republicans, this has an exclusionary aspect. Given the emphasis on citizens, republicans have tended to prioritise “us” over “them”. In the Athenian republic, only citizens could participate in democracy, and only wealthy men could be citizens — not women, not slaves, not foreigners. Similarly, in New Zealand’s “team of five million”, only citizens have the full spectrum of rights and entitlements. For more than 300,000 temporary visa holders, whose compliance with pandemic restrictions was vital for containing the outbreak, there was minimal solidarity from government. Many were frozen out of jobs during lockdown, unable to relocate due to visa conditions, and excluded from social welfare support. Others were stuck outside the country until very recently, unable to re-enter. From a liberal or internationalist perspective, this is hard to swallow. But there is a nativist strain within the Labour Party which will relish these harder borders. None of this is to say that Labour’s politics aren’t liberal or social democratic. Ideologies can be mixed in the same way that economies can be. It is to say, more modestly, that some of the qualities that characterise the Ardern government align with civic republicanism. And this helps to resist the lazy analysis that this government is nothing more than a continuation of what came before, another phase in an undifferentiable centrist blob. Neither socialist nor purely liberal But where to next? Firstly, this is not a government of pure socialist intentions. Accusations of this kind come from a place of confusion, delusion, or plain mischief. Socialism, simply put, involves collective ownership of the means of production. This government already relinquished an unprecedented opportunity to socialise the economy when it implemented its wage subsidy scheme at the outset of the pandemic. Public debt is growing precisely to keep private businesses in private hands. Labour’s resistance to substantive tax reform, even to reduce the debt it insists it must pay back, reveals its abandonment of redistribution as a practicable tool for social change. Secondly, this is not a government of purely liberal intentions. It is ambivalent about the free flow of people and capital. Attorney-General David Parker, in particular, has prioritised citizens through restrictions on overseas buyers of housing and the “national interest” test for foreign investment. It is notable that former National prime minister John Key, guided by a vision of global liberalism that is increasingly endangered, is still railing against this. Ardern’s government is also unembarrassed about a more active role for the state. Its approach for housing is illustrative — not just its boost to state-owned housing, but especially its embrace of the state’s potential as a developer providing houses directly to market. Liberals see this as mere interference, but republicans tolerate government intervention wherever it improves the lives of citizens. In the wake of the pandemic, voters will be prone to agree. The danger of losing trust This touches on the defining feature of civic republicanism: its commitment to freedom from domination. Republicans accept the kinds of intervention that liberals fear, as long as they free people from situations of oppression and subjugation. Domination should also be broadly understood to include regulations, poverty, sexism, racism, environmental degradation, employment relations — anything that thwarts our cherished projects. This is where the republican spirit mostly clearly intersects with the sixth Labour government’s interest in well-being. The purpose of worrying about well-being is to improve people’s capabilities to live the kinds of lives they most value. Because the aforementioned forms of oppression curtail such freedoms, we have a duty to overturn them, through intervention if necessary. Well-being economics isn’t merely about measurement; it is an emancipatory project. Ardern’s government is most vulnerable to criticism when it falls short of this ideal — for example, the oppressive practices of Oranga Tamariki or ineffective infrastructure development. If voters won’t punish Ardern for not being socialist or liberal enough, they might still penalise her for failing to make real these republican impulses. It is said that, in politics, what lifts you up is what will eventually drag you down. When the virtues of openness fail to strengthen transparency, when state intervention fails to deliver outcomes competently or effectively, when appeals to “the people” paper over vital differences, when the politics of kindness fail to prevent suffering — this is where trust will be lost. The danger of electoral dominance is becoming your own worst enemy.   David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sun, 18 Oct 2020 07:04:28 Z /news/vote-2020/new-conservatives-top-plan-to-keep-going-after-failing-to-make-it-into-parliament/ /news/vote-2020/new-conservatives-top-plan-to-keep-going-after-failing-to-make-it-into-parliament/ The New Conservatives and The Opportunities Party (TOP) say they are not dead and buried after failing to get elected to Parliament. The two parties were the most successful of 11 minor parties that trailed NZ First, which got booted out of Parliament after failing to reach the 5 per cent party threshold or win a seat. The New Conservatives were on 1.5 per cent after the preliminary count and TOP on 1.4 per cent. The other nine minor parties were all below 1 per cent in the polls, with Advance NZ on 0.9 per cent with 20,841 votes and HeartlandNZ finishing bottom after receiving just 1293 party votes, or 0.1 per cent. New Conservative leader Leighton Baker admitted earlier this week that his party had struggled to reach a national audience. It's 1.5 per cent of the vote was an improvement on its 2017 result but not enough to get into power. "It is a big hurdle. The reality is you can do as much as you like on social media but there's only a certain amount of people on there." Baker, a businessman who stood in the Waimakariri seat, was particularly disappointed in its exclusion from the television multi-party debate because of its low polling - a decision which it unsuccessfully challenged in court. The party ran on a platform of traditional family values, longer sentences for violent crimes, introducing trades training for Year 9s, and scrapping the Emissions Trading Scheme. New Conservative Party leader Leighton Baker. Photo / Alex Burton Baker conceded that the entry of Advance NZ into the election contest probably damaged New Conservative as the two parties were campaigning on similar issues, in particular what they saw as an erosion of democracy during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Act Party's surge in popularity also damaged New Conservative's prospects. Baker said his party would not be deterred by its latest defeat, and would compete again in 2023, saying the party had rebuilt from the Colin Craig era, which ended in controversy when the former founder, leader and backer resigned over allegations of sexual harassment. Baker intends to stay on as leader. TOP leader Geoff Simmons and deputy leader Shai Navot emailed members, supporters and donors today, saying they were immensely proud of the campaign, but also gutted. "This wasn't the result we worked so hard for. We will keep fighting for a voice in Parliament because we believe TOP can play a role in solving our biggest challenges. "TOP's voice will be even more important for our democracy and our society over the next three years. We will keep holding power to account," the party leadership said. The Opportunities Party leader Geoff Simmons. Photo / Mark Mitchell Political commentator Ben Thomas said talk of the minor parties getting together to form a block to replace NZ First was unlikely. He said parties like the New Conservatives and Billy Te Kahika's Advance NZ Party had similarities on things like Covid and lockdowns, but said Advance NZ is not a religiously framed party whereas the New Conservatives and ONE Party are Christian-based. "What I think you will see is more churn in terms of these vehicles disappearing and new ones popping up under new leaders with new backers who might have a better chance of consolidating that anti-establishment vote," he said. Thomas said while Winston Peters and NZ First was a clarion call for the disaffected they did have a parliamentary leader with real political pedigree which most of the start-ups lack. How the minor parties did Votes % of votes New Conservative 35,954 1.5 The Opportunities Party 33,718 1.4 Advance NZ 20,841 0.9 Aotea Legalise Cannabis 7637 0.3 ONE Party 6470 0.3 Vision New Zealand 2775 0.1 NZ Outdoors Party 2593 0.1 TEA Party 1869 0.1 Sustainable NZ Party 1467 0.1 Social Credit 1350 0.1 HeartlandNZ 1293 0.1 Sun, 18 Oct 2020 04:27:18 Z