The poll numbers continue to show the rise in NZ First’s popularity. They held their conference/party launch in South Auckland last weekend. You only had to listen to the speeches from past National and Labour MPs, to see and sense the momentum that is currently behind NZ First. This was not a conference of grand entrances by leaders: no balloons, no ticker tape and no wild cheering (bar a bit of fizz and boisterous applause introducing Winston).
This was two days of attending to the serious business of running a country: debating and introducing remits for policies the delegates believed were needed to change this country for the better – to put it on a different path. The age group attending were predominantly 50-plus but there was a sprinkling of younger ones as well. Applause, when it came was polite and sincere, rather than of the table-thumping variety. This was a conference attended by middle of the road Kiwis with a centre-right agenda. Some might view a few of their ideas as protectionist, and they might find difficulty getting them accepted in a coalition government.
NZ First stands for free speech, the debate of ideas and, most importantly, a level playing field when it comes to matters of race and a fair go for all New Zealanders. Like Nigel Farage’s Reform party in the UK, Winston’s NZ First is attracting an ever increasing number of ex-Conservatives but unlike Reform NZ First is seeing them come from both sides of the political spectrum.
These politicians have joined what they would call the ‘party of commonsense’. They haven’t left National or Labour; those parties have left them. Listening to their speeches, this was an underlying theme. Ex National MPs included Alfred Ngaro, Harete Hipango-Brownlie and Michael Laws. There were even more from Labour including Stuart Nash, Dover Samuels, Clayton Cosgrove and Rino Tirikatene. The Tirikatene and Nash families each have supported Labour for over 50 years but are now firmly with NZ First.
Reform has been accused of becoming a party of ‘washed-up has-beens’ and no doubt the same criticism will be levelled at NZ First. This misses the point: these people still have something to offer and have found the right party to make their contributions. They are neither hard-left nor hard-right. Their move was made because the former parties they belonged to no longer represent what they stand for.
Reform’s recent defection from the Conservatives is David Campbell-Bannerman who says, “The party is dying because it has been driven out of its lifeblood – ordinary members – treating them as stupid, ignorant and unworthy of consultation.” He is concerned the “party will always be woke-leaning and left-leaning” because the members have not been “put in charge”.
The members of the National Party do get a say on the conference floor but, in certain areas and circumstances, the public perception from Luxon and some of his ministers is ‘we know best and we will decide’. Going back to the shop analogy from my previous post, Luxon’s lot are saying that what stock appears on their shelves is their decision and nobody else’s. Once you start down that path, as a retailer, you will lose customers and your business. It’s the same in politics. Voters will turn away and the poll numbers will go down. You have to give the majority what they want: it’s the reason they gave you their vote that got you into power.
NZ First represents the political movement started by Donald Trump but now very much in evidence in England, Australia, Italy, Denmark and elsewhere. It is a movement that harbours the God-given right of free speech. Where country comes first, where domestic industrial expansion is encouraged, where a sense of patriotism is upheld and where we live as one people. It is embraced by the right and moderate left.
On the same evening following the party conference, 1News didn’t feature it as the first or even the second item. Had it been a Labour Party conference, we would have had a lead item the length of a documentary. They claim they are not biased. As CNN and other equally biased outfits found out at the last American presidential election, their faux journalism is neither listened to nor believed. The majority are not stupid.
Winston is in for a great rodeo. Other parties need to wake up to what is happening here. If they want to stop this potential juggernaut from having an effect on their election chances, then they need to start rethinking policies and strategies. Newsroom says polling data hint at a record election performance from NZ First. They reflected back to 1996 when the party registered as high as 29 per cent before settling back at 15 per cent. I would not be surprised if NZ First hit that target this time or surpassed it. Whatever happens, Winston is certainly in the game.
