Challenges for major parties

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

The dramatic fall from grace by Cabinet member Stuart Nash was the highlight of a week in politics that had its challenges for both the two main parties.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins acted decisively in first demoting Nash, then put him on a third and final warning. The unexpected distraction just when things seemed to be moving smoothly would have been most unwelcome. A permanent replacement for Police Minister is expected to be made this week.

Earlier in the week Hipkins had seen his party ahead of National in a 1-News Kantar poll while he enjoyed a clear lead as prime minister over National leader Christopher Luxon.

At the same time the Government was in a standoff with teachers after the combined stop-work by all three of the education unions accompanied by street marches.

As our street poll showed on Saturday, teachers enjoy a lot of support in the community with a strong feeling they are undervalued. The Government will want to see the issue settled as soon as possible.

National's problem is the way that its leader Luxon seems unable to appeal to a wide sector of the public. Deputy leader Shane Reti said he saw the man that people did not; the problem is to get that recognition more generally.

The week ended on another bad note for Hipkins with strong criticism of its policies made by Greens co-leader James Shaw at the party's State of the Planet speech.

Shaw used the word “frustrated” eight times as he launched an attack on Labour, saying he was not willing to compromise any more on climate and other issues.

He told party members and MPs that he knew they were as fed up at the slow progress on climate change as he was. In the middle of a climate crisis, the Government had axed climate-focused policies and extended a fossil-fuel subsidy.

Shaw also said the Greens would push hard for a capital gains tax if they were part of the next government.

But while he was critical of the Government, he warned that the most dire result possible from the next election would be a National-Act government that would be the most radical, right-wing government of recent times. He also had a jibe at Luxon, saying the only way he “or whoever follows him” would be prime minister would be with the support of Act's David Seymour.

In the midst of all this is Te Pati Maori, which several polls in recent months have shown could decide the next government.