Hundreds turn out for Ardern
Labour has got into the habit of playing down how many people will turn up to public events - past experience means they’ve had to.
An hour before new Labour leader Jacinda Ardern was due at Auckland’s waterfront to announce the party’s plan for light rail from the city to the airport, the word from Labour officials was that 300 planned to be there but it would probably be less. By 1pm there were 500 people jammed around a make-shift stage waiting for Ardern to arrive. When word filtered through the crowd that she was approaching, dozens of Labour supporters began chanting her new slogan, ‘‘Let’s do this’’. The announcement was no different from the policy originally due to be rolled out by former leader Andrew Little - not even a single Ardern-tweak.
Would that many people have given up their sunny Sunday afternoon to chant ‘‘A fresh approach’’ at Little while he delivered the exact same rail pledge? Not a chance.
The Jacinda effect has never been more visible than the scenes in central Auckland yesterday.
Strangers shoved their babies at Ardern, crowds swarmed her - she had to politely ask fans to back away so she could address media - and just trying to get to a bar 100 metres away where supporters had gathered to have a drink with Ardern was an exercise in patience and a navigational nightmare.
When asked what she was expecting for her first big policy reveal as leader, Ardern said she hadn’t imagined the reception she got.
‘‘I think this is people being hopeful about the possibility of what we can do this election.’’ She described the mobbing crowd as ‘‘uplifting’’, and before any more questions could be asked about it she quipped, ‘‘now I might go have a beer if that’s all right?’’ Those who showed up to see Ardern were a diverse bunch - no one particular group was represented any more than another.
Even cousins she hadn’t seen recently popped up out of nowhere - one hugged Ardern through tears.
Actress, Green Party supporter and activist Robyn Malcolm got the job of welcoming Ardern to the stage yesterday. She’s been friends with the Mt Albert MP for many years, and when Ardern was appointed to the leadership Malcolm emailed her immediately saying she ‘‘wanted to help’’.
Malcolm is loyal to Greens coleader Metiria Turei, who this week said she would not take up a ministerial position in a LabourGreens government after revelations she had previously lied about her address to vote for a friend in a general election.
This came on the back of a Ministry of Social Development investigation into her benefit fraud, after Turei exposed herself at the party’s conference last month to put the spotlight on the ‘‘broken’’ social welfare system.
Malcolm says Turei could have done things differently but she doesn’t think any ‘‘solid Green supporters would be shaken’’ by what had happened, including her.
Malcolm resides in the Mt Albert electorate and wouldn’t say where her two votes would go, but acknowledged people could probably guess.
The biggest cheers were reserved for Ardern yesterday but Malcolm managed to get a couple in as well - none more so than when she tested a new title with the crowd - ’’The Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand’’.
In seven weeks it will be revealed which way the country voted - for Ardern that could be the shortest or the longest seven weeks of her political career.