Kerre Woodham: How effective will Chris Hipkins really be?

I have come back rested and recharged and really looking forward to the year ahead. Especially given the PM's bombshell announcement last week. Any working parent of a young child would know exactly how Jacinda Ardern felt. This is a huge job, and while other prime ministers have faced challenges, Jacinda Ardern faced more than most. I think to pick herself up, to put herself out there for a year of brutal campaigning, trying to sell unpopular policies, trying to justify Labour's body of work, when really they don't have much in the way of proof to show that their ideologically driven programs have had any sort of success. I mean, perhaps there are rabbits to pull out of the hats this year, we can wait and see if they can offer proof that some of these programs are working, fine - we can judge them then, but to date there's been nothing.  You've got inflation biting. You've got a large group of New Zealander’s girding their collective loins waiting for their mortgage payments to roll over and likely double at some point this year. It was always going to be a tough, tough year and a tough election campaign. And if she's had enough of that, who can blame her?  

People are making much of the misogyny she endured, and she did. The role of Prime Minister has always polarized New Zealand voters. There are a lightning rod. There have been death threats and vile rumours and vicious comments before Rob Muldoon. David Longley, Ruth Richardson, Helen Clarke, Paula Bennett. They have all faced vile abuse from the ignorant, the ill-informed and the haters. But the abuse heaped upon the soon to be former PM and her family, absolutely ramped up, especially in the aftermath of Covid. Hopefully, the appointment of Chris Hipkins will take some heat out of the political debate. 

So Chippy yes, very likeable. Very reasonable. But remember, he's been responsible for portfolios that have failed and are failing. Education fail. He's been spokesman, he's been minister since 2013. Truancy’s never been worse. Standards have steadily declined. The Polytech amalgamation looks to be a disaster and it could go on. The Covid response. He presided over a couple of PR disasters with the gangster’s moles who actually weren’t and the release of personal information around Charlotte. Bellis, the journalist. So you know he looks great, nothing to see here, but in fact his portfolios are hardly blue ribbon portfolios. There's also the fact that he was the only logical choice and what does that say about a caucus that's never had more members?  What does that say about a party that you only have one logical choice? And I did think it was a bit rich when Chris Hipkins said ‘oh yes, we're going to elect a leader… we're not going to see this sort of shenanigans that National went through to find a leader’. Short memory my friend. Remember leading the ‘Anything but Cunliffe campaign, hmm. Remember that? It was only 5 short years ago that you were saved as a party by Jacinda Ardern, and now she's probably saved you again by stepping down. 

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