I have followed New Zealand elections since 1954 when as a schoolboy in Whangarei I supported my cousin, Don (later Sir Donald) McKay to become the National Party MP for Whangarei.
My family were farming stock, and my grandparents on my mother’s side were founding members of the National Party.
66 years and 22 elections later, I saw a remarkable victory by Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party. The first outright victory of the MMP era.
My pre-vote prediction was close, but although my National days are long gone and I am a Green Party member, I thought Chlöe Swarbrick might fall short.
As the old Meat Loaf song goes — Two out of three ain’t bad — we’ve got Helen White on the Labour list. I’m sure the young National candidate, Emma Mellow, will soon have her day.
But Auckland Central was a Chlöe sensation. Post election I have already heard glowing comments about her potential as the MP for one of the most important seats in the country. Her sharp intellect, ability to analyse problems, command of sound bites, will be valuable assets during the next three years.
The three-year term already under her belt has shown her mature, learn to listen better, and gain extensive knowledge of major issues facing New Zealand and the world.
Chlöe Swarbrick, in contrast to most National Party politicians is a woman for now, for the times, not a yesterday’s person. If Labour tries to be too centrist, it will be up to Chlöe and her green colleagues to pull her back to the left, where all the international action on climate change, black lives matter, immigration, fossil fuels, species extinction and environmental degradation, is happening. Labour needs the Greens, and they ignore them at their peril.
We also have a very capable Helen White as a Labour list MP. Helen will be a good entre to Labour ministers, and I expect she and Chlöe will work somewhat in tandem on some issues.
Of course National will have a serious postmortem, and they need to, but just now they seem to be in some denial about exactly what caused their defeat. Covid played a part, because Jacinda handled the pandemic to international acclaim. But National, many of them older white males, are living in yesterday’s New Zealand. The same is happening in Australia, the UK and the USA; tired old white governments. Let’s hope some of National’s front bench, largely now list MPs, do the decent thing and retire.
How exciting to see the youth and diversity of our new MPs. Sixteen of Labour’s 22 newbies are women, and an impressive line up for Jacinda to corral. Not that I think loyalty will be any issue. These newbies are there largely because of Jacinda Ardern.
Just a word on Winston. I’ve known him for nearly 50 years, and he’s always been a likeable rogue. He was a good Foreign Minister, but his time is up; off fishing to Whananaki Winnie.
I’ll miss Nikki Kaye, too, although she knows I never voted for her. She tried to get me to join the blue-greens and I tried to get her to cross the floor a couple of times. Go well dear friend. So that’s it. Now the mahi, as they say, begins apace.
Congratulations to the winners, especially Chlöe as MP and Helen as list MP. I know you’ll both do us proud in the halls of power. (John Elliott)
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