Labour MPs gather in Christchurch to formulate election strategy
Photo:
Screengrab
Analysis:
Labour MPs are gathering in Christchurch for a team 'away day', as the party inches closer to announcing its tax policy.
Last year's mid-winter retreat was held in Auckland to
re-engage with 'supercity' residents
, after the party's bruising defeat in Election 2023
The caucus is now pushing to connect with the South Island - leader Chris Hipkins
addressed the Queenstown Business Chamber
on Thursday, while other MPs visited flood-affected properties in Moteuka.
They will all come together in Christchurch on Friday to look to the year ahead and talk strategy for the run-up to next year's election.
The meeting comes as the government works against a tide of negative headlines about the economy, with unemployment jumping to 5.2 percent on Wednesday.
National campaigned on rebuilding the economy and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon heralded 2025 as the year of "going for growth" in
his State of the Nation speech in January
.
The party is now battling the headwinds of an economic downturn, with some business voices, like former National leader-turned Auckland Chamber boss Simon Bridges,
criticising the coalition
for not doing more to stimulate the economy.
Labour has been near silent on the policy front, choosing instead to criticise the coalition's ideas and hone its messaging on the cost of living to better resonate with voters feeling the pinch.
Responding to an update on the government's transition to a
universal road-user charges system
, Hipkins said the timing could "clobber" those already struggling to pay the bills, but as for Labour's alternative timeline, who knows?
The strategy thus far shows some promise, with the left bloc parties - Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori - holding a narrow lead over the coalition in several political polls this year.
Labour has also emerged as the party New Zealanders think has the best handle on the cost of living,
according to the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor
, but the race remains tight and the coalition parties are poised to pounce, when Labour unveils its tax plan this year.
On Sunday,
The Post
reported Labour was one step closer to endorsing a capital gains tax (CGT) - insiders say the party's policy council has
narrowly voted for a CGT over a wealth tax
.
While MPs will most likely discuss tax policy at today's mid-winter retreat, the public shouldn't hold its breath for an announcement. Party process requires both the council and caucus to sign off on policy.
In the meantime, the party is clearly preparing to pitch - and defend - its approach to tax. Hipkins told TVNZ's
Q+A
in March he would need time to "counter the misinformation that often goes with tax changes" before the 2026 Election.
Hipkins will give an opening speech to his caucus in Christchurch on Friday, before MPs have policy and strategy discussions behind closed doors.
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NZ Herald
43 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
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NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
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Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
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Under the old decile system, 10% of all schools in the country were in each of 10 groupings according to wealth: 10% in the wealthiest decile (decile 10), 10% in the second wealthiest (decile 9) all the way down to 10% in the poorest decile (decile 1). This is what 'decile' means: each of them is a tenth of the total. But in Auckland, very few schools were in the middle deciles. Most schools were deciles 8-10 or deciles 1-3. This reveals that we have many schools where the kids come from wealthy homes, many where they come from poor homes, and not many in the middle. This distribution still exists, we just don't use the decile system to describe it anymore. This impacts not just the city but the whole country. New Zealand has correspondingly more schools that were located in the middle deciles, and fewer at the top and bottom. Education issues in Auckland are, therefore, different from those in the country as a whole. A lot of the debate about 'good schools' focuses on the high-decile end. To put it crudely: Grammar or Kings? EGGS or Dio? But the most important education issues in Auckland relate to the other end of the scale. What do we do about kids who are failing? What schools with poor catchments are doing well and what can we learn from them? What are the other things we need to do in society, to give kids a decent chance? These are all questions about poverty. Educator Alwyn Poole, who has run some very successful charter schools and alternative private schools, weighed into the debate this week. His view is that changing the assessment scheme is all very well, but it doesn't address the core issues. What are they? He listed six 'key areas for the contribution of education towards our future'. – 'How to support parenting so that the vast majority of 5-year-olds arrive at school ready to fully engage and with the basics of a love of learning, good behaviours, as well as numeracy and literacy in place.' Poole said this includes 'parents reading to their children and being fully informed of key aspects of development'. – 'Massively improving school attendance.' Poole said less than 1% of Vote Education is allocated to this, even though we know attendance is in crisis. – 'Significantly [closing] the gaps between those who achieve and those who don't', whom he noted are 'concentrated among poorer families, Māori and Pasifika'. In 2024, 16% of school leavers had no qualifications, but for Māori it was 28%. Poole called that figure 'appalling'. But, he said, 'I do not see a single ounce of effort from Stanford on this.' – Every high school should have a 5-year improvement plan for outcomes, 'including aims and how to achieve them'. – Improving the quality of teachers. – Reforming the 'massive and inept Ministry of Education'. Poole's critique runs foul of teacher unions, because he sees collective agreements as a big part of the problem. And although he is open that his political views align with the Act Party, he and party leader David Seymour have fallen out bitterly over the way charter schools are being established. This antagonism on both the left and the right of politics is a shame, because Poole's central ideas – items 1-4 above – are vitally important. All the reforms in the world will come to nothing if the impact of poverty on education is not addressed. The mayor who wants to fix it himself Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger, who's entered the election campaign period by attacking a cycleway. 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GA suggests Auckland Rapid Transit. What's this all going to mean? 'You could be shopping at LynnMall and if they don't have what you want, jump on an East-West train straight to Sylvia Park to see if they do, all within the $50 weekly fare cap,' said AT's chief executive Dean Kimpton when he released the map. He's right, and that's not the end of it. Several of the city's other big shopping malls will also be directly connected to every suburb with a rail line, including Commercial Bay, Westfield in Newmarket and Manukau, Dress Smart in Onehunga and WestCity in Henderson. For many people, the even bigger attraction will be the rail network's easier connection of home and work, not to mention home and the entertainments of the city. Live in Onehunga and work in Henderson? One train ride. Live in Glen Eden and work in Panmure? Also one train ride. Live in Avondale, or Glen Innes, Papakura, Parnell or Ellerslie, and want to go clubbing on Karangahape Rd or soak up a big concert in the Aotea Centre? One easy train ride. Is this the optimum use of the CRL? Time will tell, and there is scope for change. One service not included on the map, although it will use the S-C line, is Te Huia, the train to Hamilton. City Vision's candidate for the Waitematā ward, Patrick Reynolds, suggests these trains could run to the Maungawhau Station. There might need to be some rejigging of other services, but that's a big, four-platform station, it's on the E-W and O-W lines, and there is ample scope to develop a proper terminal for inter-regional rail. Far better than the current terminal at the Strand, which isn't close to or connected to anything. By the way, here's a map of the Tokyo transit system. The odd thing is, by all accounts it works. Important to know your colour coding, I imagine. Transit map of Tokyo. What now for the Waitākere Ranges? The council has been consulting on a new Deed of Acknowledgement for the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area (WRHA), which will establish a partnership with the local iwi, Kawerau ā Maki. NZ First's Shane Jones says the plan looks like 'co-governance', but it's hard to see how. There will be no change of land ownership, no change to private land, no new restrictions on public access and no change to the existing decision-making powers of the council and the Government. A total of 2251 people and organisations have shared their views on the proposal. The council says the process confirmed 'the deep significance the Waitākere Ranges hold for Aucklanders'. There was 'a wide range of views on how the area should be protected and governed, with a majority supporting a more inclusive and enduring partnership model' between the council and iwi. Feedback came from residents, iwi, schools, marae, local and recreation groups and environmental organisations. In total, 51% of submitters supported the proposal, 39% opposed it and 10% were neutral or unclear. People living within the boundaries of the three local boards were more supportive of the proposed partnership than the wider Auckland community. Henderson-Massey residents were 78% in favour and for Whau residents it was 75%, while 54% of submitters living within the Waitākere Ranges area supported the plan. What's proposed in this new Deed of Acknowledgement? As partnerships go, it's not very revolutionary. An historical account will be published, outlining and acknowledging Te Kawerau ā Maki's enduring relationship with the ranges and recognising their role as kaitiaki. There'll be a non-statutory strategic plan with work programmes and a monitoring role for the iwi. An advisory forum will be set up with five council members, five from the iwi and one from the Department of Conservation. This forum will not have any decision-making powers or be able to tell anyone what to do. The Waitākere Ranges, where it's all about the bush. Photo / Michael Craig Mostly, that means the council remains in charge, although the forum is expected to 'play an important role advocating for the protection and enhancement of the Waitākere Heritage Area and promoting its national, regional and local significance'. Community participation 'will be welcomed' at the forum's meetings and activities. The council says, 'the deed confirms a shared commitment by all parties to work together - and alongside the community - to care for the Waitākere Ranges through a collective vision, coordinated action, and mutual accountability'. Local boards have been signing off on the plan this week, ahead of its presentation to the full council for approval next Thursday. Empty bus syndrome 'I live in Paerata Rise,' a reader wrote to tell me this week, 'and there's a bus service that runs from 4.30am to around 10pm, from here to Pukekohe train station. The total passenger numbers would be three or four people daily. To me, this is absurd and part of the reason why Auckland Transport costs so much. They'd save most of the cost by issuing taxi chits to people who actually use the service. At the very least the number of buses should be reduced by 90%.' My correspondent thought the service probably costs around $200,000 a year. Is he right? Paerata Rise is part of the enormous and very rapid expansion of suburbs in the far south of the city. It will have its own railway station soon, but for now, residents have to drive to get anywhere, or catch a bus. Clearly, very few choose the bus. On the one hand, it's easy to see that an under-used service is a waste of money. But there is another side to this. If those buses are 'reduced by 90%', the service will become effectively useless. People will decide they can't catch the bus because it never comes. So the question for the residents of Paerata Rise becomes: do you want public transport or not? If so, AT would like to think you'll use it. But if not, you'll reinforce your current status as a car-dependent culture. That may seem fine. But if the hundreds of thousands of people who will be living in Auckland's far south in the decades to come remain as car-dependent as they are now, they will require a massive expansion of roads, and car parks. And the cost of all that will be exponentially more than the cost of efficient public transport. The crunch will come with the trains. The CRL will open, allowing the trains to run much more often. Three new stations near the end of the South-City line will open, including Paerata Rise, making rail an easier option for tens of thousands more people. And unlike when you're stuck in the car on the motorway, you can spend your train commute on Facebook, TikTok, doing emails or, gulp, even reading a book. The golf course that refuses to die Takapuna Golf Course beside the motorway or State Highway 1. Photo/Brett Phibbs The Takapuna Golf Club has been told its hopes of keeping an 18-hole course cannot survive, because the council needs half the land, which it owns, for vital flood resilience work for Milford and the Wairau Valley. The club and the council have worked together to find a solution acceptable to both parties. But nothing came of it, and the council resolved last month to proceed with its plan to create a wetland on the park that will double as a floodwater detention sink when required. The plan is part of the council's Making Space for Water programme, which has already proven its worth in places like Northcote and Oakley Creek. But the golf club isn't giving up. It's produced the 'Shoal Bay Solution', a plan to 'safely redirect water through a landscaped green channel and underground pipe system'. The channel and pipe would prevent flooding in the Wairau Valley and Milford by funnelling it away from the golf course, under Northcote Rd, under nearby Smith's Bush and the motorway and out to Shoal Bay. Instead of flooding to the north and east of the park, the water would flow south. The club says its new plan could be built quickly and cheaply, and would 'safeguard hundreds of trees and important natural ecological areas'. The 18-hole course would remain and there'd be no need to confront 'the environmental impacts and long-term maintenance issues' of a wetland. I can still remember what Watercare's Andrew Chin told the council in the wake of the devastating 2023 floods. There was so much water in the Wairau Valley 'it would not be possible to build a pipe big enough to carry it all safely away'. But I'm not an engineer. The golf club's new plan was created by engineers and perhaps they've cracked it. I asked the council what they think of the Shoal Bay Solution. Barry Potter, director of resilience and infrastructure, told me: 'Last week we met with North Shore Takapuna Golf Ltd's technical advisers, with a brief follow-up earlier this week with two of their advisers, and we will be meeting with them again on Friday, 15 August. We have nothing further to add until we have had these discussions.' More to come on this! To sign up for Simon Wilson's weekly newsletter, click here, select Love this City and save your preferences. For a step-by-step guide, click here.
