KEY POINTS:
Labour celebrated the start of three flagship policies yesterday in a sea of red at a rally to rival any that might be seen during an election campaign.
Prime Minister Helen Clark, dressed in a blood-red jacket, was flanked by admiring ministers, adoring MPs, and want-to-be MPs at the Croatian Centre in Te Atatu.
The hall dripped with red balloons, the tables were laden with red literature (taxpayer funded) setting out what Labour had done in the Budget and what it was doing for Auckland.
Many of the wealthier members there were still buzzing from a fancy fundraising dinner and auction on Saturday night in downtown Auckland where almost $100,000 was raised.
Yesterday about 300 Labour faithfuls hula-ed, haka-ed, danced, sang and back-slapped their way through an event to mark the introduction of the KiwiSaver retirement scheme, the last roll-out of cheaper doctors visits and medicines (for 25- to 44-year-olds) and the first day that 3- and 4-year-olds become eligible for 20 hours' free early childhood education.
The message from all who spoke was: "These go to the heart of what it means to be Labour."
New Zealand had done well economically, said Helen Clark, and this was Labour's way of sharing the gains with the people.
Michael Cullen was there to talk about KiwiSaver which would reward people for saving, give them a "decent pot" at the end of their working life and everybody was delighted that former National leader Don Brash was to help run a KiwiSaver-compliant fund.
Health Minister Pete Hodgson was there to talk about cheaper doctors' visits, a move he said would mean less hesitation to go to the doctor and earlier detection of illness.
And Education Minister Steve Maharey described the 20 hours' free education for 3- and 4- year-olds as being a "red letter day".
The room rang to the sound of name-dropping of former Labour Prime Ministers - Nash, Kirk, Savage and Fraser - though Fraser, Clark's hero, was invoked for his work as Education Minister.
"I describe it [20 free hours for 3- and 4-year-olds] as the greatest extension to our public education system since the Right Honourable Peter Fraser brought in free compulsory secondary education in the 1930s," said Helen Clark.
"That's how important it is."
The 20 "free" has been in National's sights for months because some centres that charge more an hour than the Government will pay say it isn't free and they won't join the scheme.
Helen Clark said its funding was a "full-cost" model, based on a survey of what it actually costs on average to provide early childhood services.
"The Government pays for the wages.
"The Government pays for the operating cost.
"The Government pays for the cost of capital. The Government pays for curriculum costs for the regulated standard."
This morning the Government will reveal the take-up rate of early childhood centres.
