Stuff’s political awards for 2019

Stuff’s political awards for 2019

Election year is almost here. But before we get started on that, Stuff’s gallery team has come together to award our ruling class both brickbats and bouquets for 2019.

Quote of the Year:

‘‘They are us.’’ – Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern after the terror attack in March making absolutely clear that the victims of the attack represented New Zealand far more than the alleged shooter.

RUNNERS-UP: ‘‘OK boomer’’ –

Chloe Swarbrick sent an alreadyexisting meme into the stratosphere when she chided a (Gen X) National Party MP. Swarbrick ended up basically killing the meme, but this was only possible because those two words speak so well to how young people feel about their forebears. ‘‘If [Nelson] Mandela can walk out of Robben Island after 27 years and forgive his oppressors, so can I.’’ –

Winston Peters discussing his relationship with the news media. ‘‘One person’s misinformation is another person’s fact.’’ – Simon Bridges takes a trip away from objective truth in a Morning Report interview.

The Michael Cullen award for the funniest House moment:

David Seymour’s euthanasia bill finally passed in November after a two-year slog. Naturally, the moment was joyous for the MPs and activists who had worked to make this happen, but the House waits for no man, and before the clapping and hugging had stopped, Todd Muller was already rising to start speaking on his ‘‘Companies (Clarification of Dividend Rules in Companies) Amendment Bill’’ – which is somehow more boring than it sounds. As he did this, Labour MP

Kiri Allan saw his plight and started cheering him on, screaming ‘‘let’s go, Todd! Let’s do this!’’ as loud as she could across the chamber.

Ken Bone award for unexpected bipartisanship:

National’s finance spokesman, Paul Goldsmith, for his admission that Grant Robertson’s public debt settings were ‘‘about right’’ – which briefly ended decades of National and Labour squabbling about fiscals.

Steven Joyce award for holedigging:

Simon Bridges was asked earlier this year to describe new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and started out by noting a ‘‘buffoon-like quality’’. Realising this may have been slightly impolitic, he attempted to back-pedal, saying many others had noted this quality, that it was a term of endearment, and he was someone who ‘‘sometimes gets a bit of marmalade on his chin, who sometimes doesn’t say quite the right things, whose personal life can be interesting’’.

The Edward Snowden award for cyber-security:

Treasury, which managed not only to put confidential budget data online but also to describe the accessing of that data using a search engine as ‘‘hacking’’.

Worst members’ bill:

Slim pickings this year, with no absolute shockers like Clayton Mitchell’s bill to make English an official language (2018) or anything to do with lost luggage. Matt King’s bill to stop the media reporting the name of a police officer involved in a shooting is definitely a law going in search of a problem – the media don’t do this by convention anyway.

Aaron Gilmore award for not knowing who someone is:

Jacinda Ardern, clearly seeking to distance herself from former Wellington mayor Justin Lester after he lost his election, noted he had not run as a Labour Party candidate. He had. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Ross Geller award for being a terrible friend:

Opshop frontman Jason Kerrison for trying to secure some low-level immigration help from minister Kris Faafoi and then going to the media when Faafoi wasn’t as helpful as he’d hoped.

Martin Luther award for angering the Catholic church:

Brooke Van Velden, the David Seymour staffer (and potential ACT MP) who did the most to make sure the End Of Life Choice Bill passed through Parliament, against the considerable efforts of the Catholic church (and others besides), ably channelled through former prime minister Bill English.

The Sean Plunket award for worst tweet of the year:

Jo Hayes, the National MP who was beaten for selection in the Palmerston North electorate by 17-year-old William Wood, randomly replied to a months-old tweet from a former Labour candidate late at night to say: ‘‘OMG Youre such a nasty person and i hope that people checking you out for future work will visit your twitter page and see how ugly you really are [sic].’’

The hurry-it-up award for slowness in public office:

To the Serious Fraud Office, which has been looking into the allegations against the National Party made by

Jami-Lee Ross for months and months and months. The party is not yet cleared but not yet charged either. The closer we get to an election, the worse the timing will look – just ask James Comey.

Rookie on the rise:

National MP Hamish Walker has a long career ahead of him. This year he made a lot of political hay over the downgrading of the Lumsden Maternity Centre, to such a point that he entered the preferred prime minister polls. Not bad for a guy who was only elected in 2017.

Backbencher of the year:

National MP Nicola Willis, for the second year running. This year Willis, a former staffer for John Key, ran a strong campaign against Julie Anne Genter over Wellington transport. One to watch.

The Postman Pat award for actual policy delivery:

Climate Change Minister James Shaw got bipartisan support for his Zero Carbon Bill this year, is passing a law to (technically) bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, and is looking to limit emissions at 2020 levels.

Party leader of the year:

Simon Bridges began the year with the rot of the Jami-Lee Ross saga hanging over him, and the airing of real questions over his leadership. He’s put those questions to bed and has kept the party vote up in the polls.

Politician of the year:

Ardern had a year for the history books. Her response to Christchurch hit the right note – not just rhetorically but also legislatively. It was not a perfect year but it’s unlikely to be one she will ever top.