NZ Labour Hits Back at Bridges Over Tokelau Criticism
New Zealand’s National Party leader Simon Bridges has been labelled “desperate and disrespectful” for saying the Prime Minister should not have gone to Tokelau. Mr Bridges said Jacinda Ardern should never have meddled in the Ihumatao land dispute in Auckland and now she has left the country at the worst time.
Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand with a population of 1500 people and it’s been 14 years since a Prime Minister visited.
Deputy PM Winston Peters is in Thailand and acting Prime Minister Kelvin Davis has ditched Parliament to attend to the land occupation that is dividing political parties.
On the eve of her trip, Ms Ardern went to Auckland and met with some of those involved in the Ihumatao conflict and announced any building development at the site would be halted until a resolution could be found.
In 2014, 32ha of land at Ihumatao was designated a Special Housing Area, prompting a group called Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL) to begin peaceful resistance by occupation. Fletcher Building owns the land, but struck a compromise with Te Kawerau iwi authority to return 8ha to the mana whenua. Mr Bridges said Ms Ardern should not have got involved. “She’s put herself right in it, and as I say, where is she? She’s gone on a trip for days to Tokelau, 1500 people, well, every MP has a street in New Zealand which she hasn’t visited with many more people than that,” he said.
“Whether it’s the stalling economy, whether its Ihumatao, whether it’s a bunch of other issues she’s showing herself at the moment - and the government’s showing itself - to be a part-time prime minister and government.”
On his way into the House for Question Time, Finance Minister Grant Robertson questioned what exactly Mr Bridges was getting at with his dig at Ms Ardern. “I don’t quite know what Simon Bridges was saying when he said the phrase ‘parttime Prime Minister’ - I do wonder if there is a bit of a sexist overtone in that,” he said.