As we say goodbye to 2022 and welcome in 2023, it’s a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics to sport, from business to entertainment and lifestyle, these are the voices and views our
Thomas Coughlan: A tale of two maiden speeches
National's Sam Uffindell during his swearing-in ceremony at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Opinion by Thomas Coughlan
Thomas Coughlan, Deputy Political Editor at the New Zealand Herald, loves applying a political lens to people's stories and explaining the way things like transport and finance touch our lives.
Learn moreAdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Unfortunately for Uffindell, his speech contrasted poorly with last week’s maiden speech of Labour’s newest MP, Dan Rosewarne, a list MP who replaces Kris Faafoi.
Poor Mr Rosewarne is probably not long for Parliament. He’s Labour’s lowest-ranked MP and, barring a British-style mass-seppuku of the Cabinet, he’s unlikely to move high enough to re-enter Parliament in 2023.
But Rosewarne’s speech suggests this would be a shame. He spoke movingly of his difficult time at school, finding a home in the army, and serving his country in Afghanistan. He was later diagnosed with cancer and might be dead but for expensive cancer treatment funded by Pharmac.
It was a powerful story, well told. The mandatory party political boot-licking was mostly subtext, as it should be - a stark contrast to Uffindell’s attempt.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Why Sam Uffindell is toast - August 10
On Sunday, [National leader Christopher] Luxon announced a social investment policy that would help young people at risk of long-term unemployment into work. The policy would give career coaching to under 25s who had been unemployed for three months or more, and $1000 for staying off a benefit for a year to people who had been on a benefit for a year or more.
But by Monday afternoon, the National Party was talking about a wholly different delinquent youth, one of its own MPs, Sam Uffindell, who has admitted he assaulted a younger student whilst a boarder at King’s College. There are now other allegations that he terrorised flatmates whilst a student at Otago University. Uffindell admits drinking and using cannabis at Otago, but disputes significant parts of the flatmates’ account.
The scandal is playing out on two fronts. The first is what Uffindell did, and what it represents. The second is how the party and its new leader responds to them.
Uffindell’s political career is toast - barring divine intervention and more serious contrition. As things stand, he represents a toxic cocktail of things that are wrong about New Zealand and the National Party. Worse still, he’s a caricature of everything the Labour and the Greens want National to be and undermines several arguments National is trying to make about what Labour is doing wrong.
Three Waters and Labour’s co-governance predicament - April 7
Co-governance has been in the water in Parliament for the past month, in large part thanks to two events: Act’s announcement it would like to hold a referendum on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and, more recently, the death of Dr Moana Jackson, a public intellectual who has shaped how many in public life understand the Treaty.
One group less keen to talk about co-governance is the Government.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demurred when asked about co-governance proposals relating to Willie Jackson’s forthcoming Cabinet paper on honouring the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in her Monday press conference.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
“Co-governance — I feel like it’s becoming an increasingly politicised term,” Ardern said.
But co-governance is firmly on the political agenda, in the form of Three Waters, RMA reform, UNDRIP, and the Māori Health Authority (which looks more like devolution than co-governance, but that distinction appears to have been lost).
Ardern besting Luxon in Question Time - March 3
They say Question Time doesn’t matter anymore - some question whether it ever really did.
The view of most parties’ front benches, back offices, and assorted pundits is that the whole exercise is a bit passé. Who needs the House and its micro audience of partisan tragics, when you’ve got the media, in its mainstream, niche and social forms?
Why? Well, because everyone who says Question Time doesn’t matter is wrong.
Without the House the Prime Minister is nothing. Without the confidence of the House, the Prime Minister can’t even remain Prime Minister.
Win at Question Time, and the prevailing political wind shifts, however briefly, to be at your back. Lose at Question Time, and you and your entire team walk away from a long, thankless day’s work wondering whether it’s worth it. Among Question Time’s small but loyal audience is the most powerful electorate of all: the party caucus.
For these reasons it’s important to note that, currently, National leader Christopher Luxon is losing at Question Time.
Ardern proves she’s listening, but it’s the next reshuffle that matters - June 13
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be hoping Monday’s Cabinet reshuffle focuses the eyes of the electorate and her caucus firmly on the future.
The dual retirements of Speaker Trevor Mallard and Minister Kris Faafoi gave Ardern ample excuse for what her office called a “minor” reshuffle (a mid-level reshuffle is probably more accurate).
Most importantly, it gave Ardern the opportunity to gently shove her Police Minister Poto Williams sideways and publicly acknowledge dissatisfaction with the state of policing. Much like Ardern’s belated acknowledgement of the cost-of-living crisis earlier this year, this was an important signal to the electorate that five years into government, Ardern has not become so distant she does not hear public concerns.
The most significant announcement on Monday was perhaps (as it often is with this Government) an announcement of an announcement: Ardern intends to do another reshuffle earlier next year.
This reshuffle is where the focus should be. It’s a signal that lagging ministers may find themselves turfed from Cabinet to free up new space for up-and-coming talent. John Key’s mid-second term reshuffle saw the promotion of Nikki Kaye and Simon Bridges, two important talents for the party - Ardern needs to find her equivalents, and promote them.
