OPINION:
This is a transcript of Audrey Young’s subscriber-only Premium Politics newsletter. To sign up, click on your profile at nzherald.co.nz and select ‘Newsletters’. For a step-by-step guide, click here.
Welcome to the Politics Briefing as MPs gather at Parliament for their first caucus meetings after Labour was swept from office on Saturday.
Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is expected to reveal his short-term thinking on the Labour leadership this afternoon. In the absence of an obvious alternative, there are plenty of MPs urging him to stay on for now, including Grant Robertson, Kieran McAnulty and Willie Jackson.
Were it not for those ministerial scandals during the year, Michael Wood and Kiri Allan would have almost certainly been contenders, which only serves to highlight how devastating their behaviour was for the party. Members will be tempted to blame the election loss on the absence of a wealth tax. It is my firm view that if a wealth tax had been Labour’s policy, it would be being blamed right now for Labour’s loss. There was no single reason.
Whatever else happens, Hipkins has given a commitment to remain as the MP for Remutaka. And Grant Robertson has given a commitment to stick around to help get Labour established as a “ship-shape” opposition. He and Hipkins, who both entered Parliament in 2008, have had more experience in Opposition than Government.
Former leader and list MP Andrew Little has announced his retirement, saying he won’t take up his list position in the new Parliament.
Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis received a standing ovation at the start of National’s caucus meeting from current, new and former MPs. Former MPs, including former leader Todd Muller, were there to receive the traditional silver tray that National gives retiring and losing MPs.
Pre-coalition manoeuvres are underway, with Act leader David Seymour willing to publicly discuss what areas he will prioritise (the economy, crime and the Treaty of Waitangi) and Luxon wanting to hose down speculation about Act and New Zealand First.
No one is quite sure what Luxon means when he says he has been unimpressed with previous coalition negotiations, because negotiations have never been conducted in public. Party leaders, particularly New Zealand First’s Winston Peters, have often agreed to speak to the media during talks, as is their right. But Peters has never given anything away.
Luxon, however, was emphatic today that reports Peters had been offered the Speaker’s job were wrong. He did not elaborate, but it is well known that that is Sir John Key’s brainwave and that he believes Peters could be enticed by the prospect of a diplomatic posting and knighthood following a term as Speaker. That Key thinks Peters is so venal is likely to rankle with Peters.
While Luxon can plausibly deny the offer, because talks haven’t started, it is almost certain that Peters’ people have been sounded out about it. Hopefully it doesn’t go any further. Not only would Peters be an awful Speaker, it is difficult to imagine him having led the ultimate comeback only to be sidelined to the referee’s job. However, there would be plenty of people who would welcome him back as Foreign Minister, perhaps outside Cabinet.
If you want an excellent overview of the results, go to the last story below and try out the interactive graphic by Chris Knox, the Herald’s head of data journalism. You can order the results according to many variables. I like the grid view according to “tightness”, which orders the electorate seats by the narrowest margin to the biggest margin.
“There is honour in losing this election to this girl” - Metiria Turei on veteran MP Nanaia Mahuta losing Hauraki-Waikato to 21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (TVNZ’s Marae).
“Get the stones red-hot before you cook the tucker” - Shane Jones compares coalition negotiations to a hangi.
“It’s all about moving from champagne to lemonade” - Outgoing Labour list MP Dan Rosewarne after telling media his Koru Club membership had been cancelled since the election result.
When did Winston Peters first stand for Parliament as a National candidate and in what electorate? (Answer below.)
The delight shown by former Labour MP Gaurav Sharma in the demise of former colleagues goes well beyond schadenfreude to downright nasty.
Every pundit likes to be the first to pick it, but for this election it was probably Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, who wrote a piece for the NZ Herald headed “The only question in my mind - how badly will Labour lose?” - in August 2022.
Labour leadership: Labour leader Chris Hipkins has affirmed his commitment to the party, but will discuss whether he stays on as leader with caucus today.
The great repeal: If campaign promises are to be believed, a slew of the outgoing Government’s policies are set to be binned under a National-led Government.
Love in a political climate: Labour leader Chris Hipkins has revealed more details about his romance with mystery woman Toni, saying she has been “a highlight of the year”.
Opinion: Auckland is changing, but the Labour Party isn’t keeping up, writes Simon Wilson.
Coalition deals: Ever wonder what happens inside coalition negotiations with NZ First? David Fisher reveals behind-the-scenes details of two deals.
Māori electorates: There is major change in the Māori electorates as Te Pāti Māori candidates pull off upsets - which could create an overhang in Parliament.
Social media strategy: National racked up hundreds of thousands more video views on social media than Labour as it sought to use sometimes off-the-wall viral trends to energise its election campaign.
South Island electorates: New Zealand’s south could have a new look this parliamentary term after several seats flipped from red to blue and a new party entered the mix.
Interactive map: See New Zealand’s election results by overall party vote and for each electorate on our interactive map.
Quiz answer: Winston Peters first stood for National in 1975 in Northern Māori against Labour’s Matiu Rata.
Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s senior political correspondent. She was named Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018.
For more political news and views, listen to On the Campaign, the Herald’s politics podcast.
It follows concerns about use-of-force powers being given to staff.