Labour leader Chris Hipkins launched a fierce attack on the government in his first election-year speech, blaming it for New Zealand’s current woes.
Hipkins told his party at a caucus retreat in West Auckland that New Zealanders are seeking a “sense of hope” this year, something he said the National-NZ First-Act coalition is failing to provide.
He said Kiwis are “seeing more cuts, more negativity, real doom and gloom from the current government – and what they want is a sense of hope that better is possible and that a better future for New Zealand is possible.”
Hipkins criticised Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech, calling the address “another litany of blame and excuses” instead of the “plan for the future” that New Zealanders want.
“We have a Prime Minister who thinks that low-income New Zealanders are bottom feeders, who thinks that fundamentally, New Zealand is a wet, whiny, miserable country.”
He said Labour had done the “hard work” in recent years—listening, reflecting, refreshing, and renewing after their 2023 election defeat.
“Now we are into election year,” Hipkins said. “That means we get to talk about what we want to do, how we will do things differently, but also remind New Zealanders of the absolute mess this government has created.”
“Because while they will try and find everybody else to blame for the mess they’ve created – make no bones about it, this government is responsible for the situation that New Zealand is in at the moment.”
Hipkins talked about the “record number of Kiwis” who left the country last year in search of “opportunity elsewhere” that they couldn’t find at home.
“That is an absolute indictment on Christopher Luxon and his government. New Zealanders now are looking to us to provide that alternative.”
He accused Finance Minister Nicola Willis of creating a “structural deficit,” noting that the 2023 pre-election fiscal update had put New Zealand “on a pathway to recovery.”
“We were heading back into surplus. The economy was going to start growing again, and the first thing that this government did was a slash-and-burn exercise that ended all of that.”
Labour won’t hesitate to remind Kiwis that their current situation stems from the government’s “bad choices,” Hipkins said.
“Tax cuts for landlords and tobacco companies, whilst hardworking New Zealanders find it harder to buy their first home or go and see the doctor.”
Hipkins highlighted Labour policies like the New Zealand Future Fund and three free doctor visits—funded by a capital gains tax—saying they had been “well received” by the public.
He said New Zealanders “want it.”
“They have made that very clear. They want to see investment moved out of the speculative housing market and into providing opportunities for New Zealanders.”
On unemployment, Hipkins said the government is “actually making it harder for New Zealanders to get a job – and we will hold them accountable for that.”
He said Labour will provide a “real and compelling alternative,” because “better is possible.”
Hipkins wrapped up his speech by declaring Labour “fired up and excited for election year.”