Chris Hipkins: Labour leader says Aucklanders have moved on from long lockdowns in 2021

Chris Hipkins says Aucklanders have moved on from long lockdowns, and don't hold a grudge against Labour. 

The Labour leader gave a speech today on the city's future, batting away questions on whether the Party kept the city too long in lockdown in 2021. 

Chris Hipkins clarified that more Aucklanders are focused on the future of the city than what happened years ago.

"Covid-19 was a very difficult time for everybody, and Auckland bore a disproportionate brunt of the effects of the Covid-19 restrictions compared to the rest of the country."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon. Chris Hopkins has accused Chris Luxon of embracing
the anti migrant rhetoric of his coalition partners. Chris Hipkins
made the comment in a State of Auckland's speech today,
and it refers to Chris Luxon's comment in his speech
yesterday that he will put social cohesion ahead of business
profits in a quote careful policy on migration. Chris Hipkins
is with us now, Hichip, good.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Morning, good afternoon, Good afternoon, Good afternoon. That's still afternoon,
isn't it. Yes, that's right. Stood along.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'm furious. I just heard the news before we get
into this migrant stuff. What is this about? No one
cares about the Auckland lockdowns except for z B anymore.
You want to explain that.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh, I never said that either. What I said was
hold on, let me quote you.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Let me quote you, because in the stand up a
reporter not from Newstalk ZB asked you about the COVID
lockdowns and you said, not one person outside of Newstalk
ZB is continuing to raise that with us.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
That's correct. People aren't raising it. We've been doing public
meetings across Auckland. You know, as I said, us Talk
ZB still raise it, but most people aren't.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
No, most people or all people.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's not been raised with me by anybody else.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Nobody are you telling me in the city of Auckland,
Nobody except for people employed by Newstalk ZEDB, have raised
the lockdowns with you. That is correct, except of course
for the reporter who raised it with you, who was
not from News Talks ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, can I tell you.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Irritated by this, chippy, because what you're suggesting is that
this is some sort of an ideological campaign that ZB
is executing on you, when the reason I am angry
about it on a personal level is not because of
who I'm employed by. It's because I had to live
through the crap you put me through. I'm angry as
an Aucklander, and I can guarantee you there are people
outside of z B who are angry about it. I
think this is a form of gas lighting, don't you think.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Well, Heather, if you're going to selectively pick something from
I said that I said this morning, then you should
make sure you relay the entire comment that I made.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Please please go ahead and do that.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Which was that COVID nineteen was a very difficult time
for everybody, and that Auckland bore a disproportionate frunt of
the effects of the COVID nineteen restrictions compared to the
rest of the country. That the rest of the country
is indebted to Auckland for the contribution that they made
to our COVID nineteen response, but that most of the

(02:12):
people in Auckland now who are talking to us are
more concerned about the future than they are about what
happened four years ago.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Well, I hope this unleashes a torrent of COVID comments
at you so that you can know it's not just
us now anyway. What is your problem with what Chris
Luxon said?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Sorry to run that past me again. Remind me what
the questions about.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
And you have accused Chris Luxen of embracing the anti
immigrant rhetoric of his coalition partners. What is it that
he said that has upset you and made you draw
this conclusion.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, Christopher Luxeen embracing the idea that social cohesion and
immigration are incompatible, I think is buying into the anti
immigrant rhetoric that's being stoked by New Zealand first in
particular so by the Act Party Migrants to New Zealand
are contributing enormously to our economy. You look at the

(03:07):
jobs that they are doing. The people who are looking
after some of our most vulnerable people are often migrant workers.
You know, if you want to worry about social cohesion,
worry about the fact that there are increasing numbers of
people in aged care who are dependent on migrant workers
for their care. Attacking migrant workers, making migrant workers the
bad guys is just wrong. Migrant workers contribute hugely to

(03:31):
New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
I agree with you, what's your policy on immigration.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
We want to see immigration stabilized. So if you look
at what happened, I refreshed my memory on the numbers.
So if you look at what happened in twenty twenty three,
it was a pretty noisy year because it was the
first year after the border reopened. There was a higher
number of people coming in and a higher number going out.
But immigration since then has actually dropped back to a
reasonably stable level. It's slightly higher than it was pre COVID,

(03:58):
but it's generally in line with what the long run
average has been over the last decade or so. And
you know, stable immigration for New Zealand as long as
we're planning for it, as long as we're building the
infrastructure and the housing to support it, is positive.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
That sounds literally like what he just said. You call
it stable, he calls it careful.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well, I mean that he's also embracing, and you know,
the narrative that migrants are responsible for the country's economic blows,
and I totally reject that.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
All right, Chippie, thank you very much. Chris Hopkins, Labor
Party leader.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
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