NZ First gives Labour the reins
‘‘What it does represent is the nation’s voice for change.’’ Darroch Ball, NZ First MP
Jacinda Ardern will become prime minister as the Labour Party retakes power after nine years in the cold.
Ardern learnt she’s the new leader of the country at the same time as the public did – just after 7pm yesterday.
National leader Bill English found out he lost the role of prime minister at the same time.
NZ First leader Winston Peters has been offered the role of deputy prime minister as part of the coalition negotiations with Labour.
During a much-anticipated announcement last night, Peters didn’t mention the Greens in the coalition deal, but said he negotiated with Labour and it was for that party to sort out an agreement with the Greens.
The decision comes 26 days since the general election and after 11 days of formal negotiations between NZ First and National and Labour.
Both Ardern and Peters were determined to hold off negotiations until the special votes – 15 per cent of the vote – had been counted on October
7.
That proved fruitful for Labour and the Greens, which each picked up a seat and put them in a stronger position to negotiate with NZ First.
The deal was done when Peters got an individual vote from each member of his caucus right before making the decision public.
Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-galloway has only ever been in Opposition since he was first elected to Parliament in 2008. NZ First’s decision means he will get his first go on the Government benches and could get a ministerial role.
He wasn’t able to be reached for comment immediately after the announcement.
Palmerston North-based NZ First list MP Darroch Ball said it was a very exciting time.
NZ First was confident and happy with its decision to partner up with Labour.
‘‘What it does represent is the nation’s voice for change.’’
He said there were many meetings through the negotiation period and important policies to get over the line.
He said the final decision was made only 15 minutes before Peters walked into the conference room.
Regarding going back to Parliament with Lees-galloway, he said: ‘‘It’s going to be a great team in Manawatu¯ .’’
Ardern’s ascent to prime minister caps a remarkable rise in the past two months.
Picking up the Labour leadership after the party’s poor polling, she took the fight to English in televised debates.
Labour’s share of the votes also improved once special votes were counted – a fact Peters pointed out before announcing the coalition deal.
On election night, National won 58 seats but that dropped back to 56 after specials were counted while the Labour-greens bloc rose from a combined total of 61 seats – the governing threshold – to 63 seats.
With the total party vote percentage – National received 44.4 per cent while the Labour and Greens bloc gained 43.2 per cent of the vote.
Those numbers closed the gap significantly between the two options for NZ First to govern with.
Peters emphasised last night that there needed to be significant change, including in economic direction.
‘‘We believe capitalism must regain its human face,’’ Peters said.
He said Ardern had shown enormous talent on the campaign trail and the party had to seriously consider a ‘‘modified status quo’’ or a ‘‘change’’ when making their choice following negotiations.
While not everyone in NZ First agreed with going with Labour, Peters said it was a strong enough consensus to go ahead.
The Maori seats are seemingly safe as Peters says they are held by Labour and while voters were ‘‘fast on the hip, they were slow on the voting hip’’ and didn’t vote in large enough numbers to see them go.