Hipkins to steady ship and a Little farewell
There was no leadership vote yesterday as Labour prepares for life in opposition and Andrew Little prepares for life outside parliament
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday, October 17, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: Auckland council facing its biggest shake-up since the super city was formed; inflation data cools talk of OCR hike in November; more job cuts proposed at Massey University; but first, senior Labour figures to stay on to ensure robust opposition as one minister dabs his way out
Hipkins not done with politics
The last prime minister who took over from a high-profile and popular prime minister less than a year out from an election was Bill English. Winston Peters and NZ First supported Labour after the 2017 election, ending English’s short tenure as prime minister, and the rest is history. English was re-elected as National Party leader on 24 October 2017. At the time, he announced his intention to stay on as leader until the next general election. He stepped down on 13 February 2018 and left parliament altogether two weeks later. Chris Hipkins is staying on as Labour leader, saying, “I'm still absolutely committed to making sure that we manage a smooth transition to a new government and a smooth transition into opposition.” As per the party’s constitution, the Labour caucus will need to hold a leadership vote within three months of the election.
Other senior Labour leadership figures committing to ‘stay for now’
As Newsroom’s Jo Moir reports, Grant Robertson and Willie Jackson are only committing to staying on for now. Robertson says he wants to ensure the party is well set up to be a “high quality opposition”, and he’ll make assessments over time as to whether he'd stay on. For other long-serving MPs who aren’t returning after the election, the end comes quite swiftly. As Moir notes, there are no valedictory speeches for MPs who depart at this point. Nanaia Mahuta, who lost her Hauraki-Waikato seat to Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke after 27 years as an MP, told the Waikato Times “I will take stock and be at home with my two young children and my family. It will be nice to experience the things they are going through and be there to nurture and nourish their growth.” Mahuta called Maipi-Clarke on Saturday night to concede and encouraged her to hold onto the gains made in the electorate.
What will the sixth Labour government’s legacy be?
This morning on The Spinoff, Henry Cooke provides a comprehensive analysis of the policy gains made by the sixth Labour government and asks how much of it will still be there in 2026. He makes a comparison with the Labor government in the state of Victoria in Australia and draws a line between on-paper policy and concrete infrastructure investment. The post-mortems continue, with the Herald’s Derek Cheng (paywalled) knitting a variety of strands discussed over the last few days together to provide a succinct narrative for Labour’s loss. A Beehive insider told the Herald: “It never is one thing. Elections are always a vibe - either time for a change, or continuity.”
Andrew Little, over and out
Andrew Little announced his retirement from parliament yesterday. For someone who has a reputation as a bit of a gruff straight-talker, he has demonstrated an extraordinary willingness to create personable social media content. He briefly changed his Twitter name to “Andrew Daddy Thicc Snacc Little" after a joke from a radio host and recently delighted TikTok and Instagram trend followers with a Wes Anderson homage for Pink Shirt Day. He signed off on social media yesterday, writing “Andrew Little MP, over and out”, accompanied by a shot that looks like it’s from another video of him encouraging people to vote. One’s political career is not the sum of one’s “snaccable” social media content, but they were light moments amid the seriousness of his work as an MP and minister. Toby Manhire presents a highlight reel of Little’s career, including his hard work across an extensive range of portfolios and an eye-popping piece of fan art. Little is planning a return to the law, taking steps to get his practising certificate back.
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Biggest shake up since the super city was formed
As Stuff’s Todd Niall reports, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is proposing to cut the number of local boards in Auckland from 21 to 13, while giving them more power and funding. The council will also decide whether to add dedicated Māori seats to its 21-seat governing body this month. Brown says he’s neutral on that and will “go with the flow”. Auckland has had 21 local boards since the super city amalgamation in 2010. Reports from officials point to the inefficiency of “running 21 monthly board meetings, producing 21 consulted annual plans each year, as well as producing 21 annual reports.” Niall also has a good round-up of projects that are heading in the right direction in Auckland, “a reminder that Auckland can make progress, even while the biggest ticket items such as light rail, moving the port, continue to bounce around between interest groups, the council and government.”
Inflation data cools talk of OCR hike in November
Well, most of the economists were wrong about inflation yesterday. The consumer price index (CPI) was up 1.8% with an annual rate of 5.6%. Most economists had a 6 in front of their annual number. I also started the clock too early on National’s 100 days, a point fairly argued by people in my inbox and comments. They get a few weeks back. As interest.co.nz’s Dan Brunskill reports yesterday’s inflation data probably kills the likelihood of an OCR hike in November, but bets are hedged on a lift in February. ANZ economists Sharon Zollner and Henry Russell said the data showed domestic-driven inflation (non-tradable) was still a significant problem, and it hardly screams “job done”. Petrol prices have impacted inflation, as Brunskill notes. “Transport costs make up just 13.5% of the CPI basket but were responsible for a third of all inflation during the quarter.” We can do this all again in January and February when I will probably be wrong about something, and so will the economists.
A message from Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman
Thanks to the generous support of Spinoff Members, we were able to cover this election more expansively than ever before with writers reporting from Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, New Plymouth, Wairarapa, Gisborne, Auckland and Northland. With the results in, we will continue to interrogate and report on those who lead this country with rigour, range and humour. If you value The Spinoff’s political coverage, now is a great time to join the thousands of people who support The Spinoff by becoming a member or making a donation.
- Madeleine Chapman, Spinoff editor
Click and Collect
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University could lose up to 30% of its staff as part of another attempt to cut costs
Work to bypass sewage around a collapsed and blocked sewer main in Auckland is completed, but there will still be overflows into the harbour when it rains.
Wellington councillor Diane Calvert reconsiders her use of the word “crisis” to describe state of Wellington city council’s finances
“Significant gaps” in the way domestic violence victims are checked for brain injuries
Snort, a weekly improv comedy night that helped launch the careers of many of the biggest names in local comedy, will be finishing up later this year. Three of its founders reminisce.
Henry Cooke provides a comprehensive analysis of how much of Labour’s legacy will survive. Joel MacManus recaps a testy and challenging day as Labour’s caucus meets. Shanti Mathias and Tommy de Silva have a handy list of the Labour MPs who are leaving parliament, and we have a list of all the new National and Labour MPs. Graeme Edgeler explains why counting the special votes takes such a long time. For The Cost of Being, an engineer who moved to Melbourne describes what he's doing with an increased salary. Vanessa Young explains what nano recycling is and why it’s important.
Sporting snippets
The All Blacks’ victory over Ireland told entirely in political metaphors
Where to now for rugby in the Pacific after Fiji, Samoa and Tonga are knocked out of the Rugby World Cup
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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