Kerre Woodham: Are Labour's promises enough to turn dissatisfied voters to their side?

The Labour Party wrapped up its conference yesterday, was a big deal because it was the first time the members had got together since losing the election last year.

And if you listen to Andrew Little and Chris Hipkins with Mike this morning, you would hear from them that the conference went very well, the party is in good heart and Chris Hipkins is going to lead the Labour Party to victory in 2026.

Will he be able to do that based on the promises he made at the conference? This was Chris Hipkins talking to Mike Hosking on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning:

CH: I think AUKUS ultimately is a nuclear submarine pact, if you look at Pillar 2 of AUKUS it's not something that we think is going to be in New Zealand's best interest to be involved with and you know ultimately we've made the decision that New Zealand's best interests will be best be served through our existing international arrangement, including things like the five country partnership that we have (Five Eyes) and any access to things like new technology should come through that avenue not the AUKUS arrangement.

MH: Dunedin Hospital – to what extent will you build it no matter what the bill?

CH: We said that we'll build it to the specification that we agreed to at the last election or before the last.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Mornings podcast from
News Talks d B.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
The Labor Party wrapped up its conference yesterday. It was
a big deal because it was the first time the
members had got together since losing the election last year.
And if you listen to Andrew Little and Chris Hipkins
with Mike this morning, you would hear from them that
the conference went very well, the party is in good

(00:32):
heart and Chris Hipkins is going to lead the Labor
Party to victory in twenty twenty six. Will he be
able to do that based on the promises he made
it the conference. This was Chris Hipkins talking to Mike
Cosking on the mic Co Hosking Breakfast this morning.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
I think you know Orcus ultimately is a nuclear submarine
pat If you look at Pillar two of UCUS, it's
not something that we think is going to be in
New Zealand's best interests to be involved with. And you know,
ultimately we've made the decision that New Zealand's best interests
will be best be served through our existing international arrangements,
including things like the Fire Country partnership that we had,

(01:07):
and in any access to things like new technology should
come through the avenue, not through the orchest arrangement.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
To need an hospital, to what extent will you build it?
No matter what the bill.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
We said that we'll build it to the specification that
we agreed to at the last election, no matter what
the last election. Well, I mean bearing in mind that
the previous that the current government before the election was
saying they were going to build a hospital is even
bigger than the one that we were courting.

Speaker 4 (01:32):
Yeah, but forget that. This is your promise that, at
no matter what cost you were, whatever it was going
to be, specification wise, you will pay that bill.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
We will we will build a hospital to the respects
that we had agreed to before the last election. That's okay.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
So that's pretty much at whatever cost. So what did
you make of it? If you are one of those
who are middle of the road voters, you'll go with
the policies are you're not absolutely tribal, you're one of
the thirty percenters, you'll go if you think that there

(02:08):
is a vision that a party has, be they labor
or national. If you like the cut of the leader's jib,
if you find policies that resonate with you, you can
swap your vote between Blue and Red. So among the promises,
Labor will build the new Dunedin Hospital as you heard,

(02:31):
a pledged to keep New Zealand out of UCUS, announced
Karen macnaughty as the party's twenty twenty six campaign chairman,
good idea keeping them close, to keep them close, and
promised to publicly owned inter island ferry connection including some
form of rail transport. Is that enough to turn to

(02:55):
satisfied Labor and Centrist voters away from New Zealand and
New Zealand first and towards Labor. I wouldn't have thought so,
But I would say I wouldn't have thought so.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Yet.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
We all know that parties seldom give away their bang
to power policies, you know whoa look at what we've
got for you kind of policies. They don't do that
two years before an election. So it is very early days.
But there's going to have to be a little bit
more forward thinking than what they came up with at

(03:27):
the conference. Willie Jackson, when he spoke, criticized the coalition
leaders for their respective roles in the treaty bill, which
you know so far so Willie Jackson, but he did
say that there needs to be and appealed to middle

(03:54):
New Zealand. He said that the Labor Party conference goers
had to remind their friends and fellow members that labor
was not under the influence of the Maori Party. He said,
working class labor values are to work together, not just

(04:15):
for one's own interests, but everybody's interests. He said a
middle class New Zealand would support some policies from the
Greensante Pati Mari, but they'd never agree, he said about
a Maori parliament. He said, we need to have Mari

(04:37):
and Pakuiha and middle New Zealand together with us so
we can be the next government, which is remarkably conciliatory
for Willie Jackson, I think you'll agree. So they understand
they need to appeal to the middle. They need to
appeal to that thirty percent. Those people that will switch
where they see the best policies for New Zealand or

(05:00):
for themselves, where they see the most sensible and capable
members of Parliament, will be with the Labor whatever they promise. See.
It was just listening to Chris Hopkins talking to Mike
about the Dunedin Hospital, so Mike said, you'll build it.

(05:22):
Whatever the cost. If he said yes, cool, but this
sort of faffing around and dancing on the head of
a pin. Oh we'll build it to the previous pets,
but the cost has gone up exponentially since they first
had it costed and the plans first came out. If
he just came out and said, yeah, we'll build it

(05:43):
at any cost, fine, and hopefully though the issue of
who is going to lead to the Labor Party to
the next election is done and dust it because we
do not want to see a repeat of the David
chair a David cume of Andrew Little Jesindra Adun Shenanigan's
because it still blows me away that Chris hip Can said, yeah,

(06:04):
we weren't really ready for parliament after nine years in opposition,
you're not ready to be in parliament. What were we
paying for? Why were we funding your wages? If you're
going to use all of your taxpayer funded salaries to
faf around and spend the time trying to find a leader,

(06:27):
that is not money well spent. That is not a
good return on investment for the taxpayer. So if what
they're going to be doing is looking at flaws in
the coalition government's plan for New Zealand and coming up
with a better alternative. If they're looking at bold, innovative
ways to grow the economy, to protect vulnerable New Zealanders,

(06:50):
to create a more robust health system, great, But if
all you're doing is faffing around doing third form schoolyard
politics to choose your leader, that is not a good
return non investment. So so far, so good. Chris Hepkins said, well, yes,
I might be tainted by the last regime, but hey,

(07:13):
I'm here for the long haul and basically the best
guy for the job. Prove otherwise.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
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