Labour Party members were urged to hold their “nerve” in strong opposition to the Treaty Principals Bill, as the party faithful gathered in Christchurch this weekend for their annual conference.
Chris Hipkins said New Zealanders expected a “strong stance” on what he called a divisive issue.
The party’s position on the matter was clear as Labour Party t-shirts were available for purchase with the words “Honour Te Tiriti” across the front, while flyers encouraged individuals to make a submission in opposition to the Bill.
Labour MP Willie Jackson delivered a rousing speech which was well received by the audience, including recalling the moment he was booted out of Parliament’s debating chamber having called David Seymour a “liar”, breaking with Standing Orders.
But the real test for the Labour Party will be whether voters agree with its stance on the Bill.
Jackson admitted some party members are nervous.
“Don’t allow the right wing to frighten you, we’ve got to keep our nerve here, we’ve got to keep our nerve,” he told them.
Jackson said critics have argued Labour was aligning too much with Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party on the Treaty Principle Bill issue.
He said those same critics argue Labour risked becoming “radicalised” on the topic, but reassured members today their position was a “working class” issue.
“Some of our members have felt a little bit uneasy and it’s about them understanding that a lot of the issues in terms of Māori are issues of justice,” Jackson said.
Labour knows to win an election, it needs to win back middle New Zealand, with Hipkins saying the party needed to “reconnect” to a “broader range” of New Zealanders.
1News asked the Labour leader if talking about the Treaty today achieved that aim.
“Well, look, the Government have created a very divisive debate, and I think New Zealanders expect us to take a strong stance on that, and we will,” Hipkins said.
The ACT leader spoke to Q+A’s Jack Tame, after tens of thousands took part in a hīkoi to Parliament. (Source: 1News)
Many party members that 1News spoke to agreed with that thinking.
“I do think most voters do care about it, I don’t think it’s going to be a distraction for Labour,” one man said.
“It is a priority, otherwise it’s divide and conquer, and that’s what we’re seeing (from the Government),” said one woman.
Jackson said the party “can’t avoid the elephant in the room.”
“It’s probably the biggest issue in front of New Zealanders right now. When you get 700 million people watching a haka in Parliament, when you get 60,000 plus people marching on the biggest protest we’ve ever seen in Wellington, we can’t just avoid that,” he said.
“But we have to also make our members feel comfortable and get them to understand why we’re supporting the opposition to the Treaty Principles, because it’s a matter of justice. We get over that and then we get back to the real issues,” he said.
Among the crowd today was a familiar face, Nanaia Mahuta, who received a lifetime membership after serving 27 years as an MP for the party.
She received a standing ovation and shed tears as she accepted the award.
Grappling with tax
The party meanwhile was also grappling with a strong tax debate internally.
The membership is essentially divided into two camps, with one side keen to see a capital gains tax, while the other a wealth tax.
“In my personal opinion, I think a CGT (capital gains tax) would work,” said one member.
“I am a landlord, but I strongly believe that there should be capital gains on realised capital gains,” said another.
“We have put up remits from the Nelson LEC (local electorate committee),” said a third member, “but you know, let’s have those debates now.”
1News then asked Hipkins if the public could have confidence in Labour on tax given the party does not itself have a united views on the matter?
“I’m absolutely confident that when we release our tax policy, we’ll have a united view to support it. Of course there’s debate when you’re developing policy about what the best policy should be,” Hipkins said.