Chippy stays as Labour’s leader (at least for now), and he is sticking to his Treaty position – but he does have a new deputy
While Point of Order’s monitors of the Beehive website were cooling their heels, waiting for Christopher Luxon to negotiate coalition governing arrangements with ACT and New Zealand First, the Labour Party caucus was putting its leadership to the vote.
The caucus was more forgiving of former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins than the electorate. Whereas voters threw him and his party out of office, Labour’s 34 MPs endorsed him as leader.
Carmel Sepuloni was elected the party’s deputy leader after Kelvin Davis stepped down from that position.
Next thing we knew – shazam – was an announcement about her travel plans being posted on the aforementioned Beehive website. Her travelling companions will include National’s Gerry Brownlee.
Next thing we knew – shazam – was an announcement about her travel plans being posted on the aforementioned Beehive website. Her travelling companions will include National’s Gerry Brownlee.
Latest from the Beehive
7 NOVEMBER 2023
Aotearoa New Zealand will be represented by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni at the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Retreat in the Cook Islands. Minister Sepuloni will be accompanied by Government-elect representative Hon. Gerry Brownlee.
The outcome of the caucus meeting was revealed at a press conference around 1pm which was recorded by Newshub.
1:30pm – Hipkins is being questioned about his previous statement that “Under a Government I lead there will be no wealth or capital gains tax after the election”.
He said everything is back on the table since the party lost the election.
Hipkins wouldn’t rule out raising the superannuation age if re-elected in 2026. He said he wouldn’t be deciding on policy for that election at this stage.
But he gave a strong indication he would not be budged from governing in accord with highly contentious “treaty principles”, if he is ever given another opportunity. This implies he would adulterate our democratic arrangements and the principle that all citizens have the same rights, should they be regarded as an impediment to Labour’s ideological interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi and ill-defined related concepts such as “Treaty partnership”.
Speaking about ACT’s proposal of a referendum on the treaty principles, Hipkins said that would be a massive step back and wouldn’t be constructive. He said he hopes National doesn’t allow that to happen. Ongoing discussions around race relations and constitutional issues are important if done respectfully, but he doesn’t believe a referendum would lead to that.
Earlier in the press conference, Hipkins said he plans on being a “very good” Opposition leader.
He also acknowledged that several issues had contributed to Labour’s loss.
That includes how the party was perceived in Auckland and issues with ministers leading up to the election taking time away from discussing Government’s actions and policies.
It seems he has yet to be persuaded that his government’s promotion of co-governance and other controversial race-based policies might have had something to do with his becoming the leader of a party in opposition.
Nor does he seem to have noticed that the three parties now negotiating the makeup of the next government had one key plank in common when they were promoting their policies: they all expressed their disagreement with Labour’s interpretation of the Treaty and their concerns with the racial divisions it increasingly was causing.
Whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs i the new government will be Gerry Brownlee, Winston Peters or someone else remains the stuff for media conjecture.
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni therefore had the job of announcing that she and Brownlee will represent NZ at the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Retreat in the Cook Islands.
“Regardless of who is in Government, Aotearoa New Zealand’s relationship with our Pacific whānau is long-standing and vital,” said Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni.
“I am pleased to lead the Aotearoa New Zealand delegation on this occasion, and to have the opportunity to reaffirm the value we place on our existing regional relationships.
“The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ week is an important platform for us to come together — kanohi ki te kanohi — to connect and talanoa as the Blue Pacific Continent,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
“It’s also an opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to our region — such as climate change, health, and security — and to explore ways to enhance our collective resilience and prosperity.”
A key focus of this Leaders’ Retreat will be to endorse the implementation plan for the Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
While in the Cook Islands, Carmel Sepuloni and Gerry Brownlee will hold a joint meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and participate in elements of the broader Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Week programme.
The delegation departs tomorrow , returning on Friday 10 November.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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