Signed, sealed and delivered
Labour leader and prime minister elect Jacinda Ardern has released the list of portfolios and details of her coalition deal with NZ First and the Green Party.
It comes ahead of a swearing in ceremony tomorrow when the Labour-NZ First Cabinet will meet for the first time.
At the signing at Parliament yesterday, Ms Ardern revealed that NZ First brought real advocacy for the regions as part of the coalition talks, to help regenerate the country’s economy.
She also mentioned that NZ First also advocated for climate change.
The portfolios NZ First will be given include:
Foreign Affairs Infrastructure
Regional Economic Development Internal Affairs
Seniors
Defence
Veterans’ Affairs
Children
Forestry
State Owned Enterprises Racing
Associate Finance Associate Education An Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Regional Economic Development.
Some key points from the NZF deal:
$1b per annum Regional Development Fund
Re-establish the New Zealand Forestry Service
Review and reform of the Reserve Bank Act
Increase the minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2020
Comprehensive register of foreignowned land and housing
Free doctors’ visits for all under 14s Free driver training for all secondary students
A new generation SuperGold smartcard containing entitlements and concessions
A royalty on exports of bottled water
Commit to re-entry to Pike River A full-scale review into retail power pricing
MPs allowed to vote on a potential referendum on euthanasia
The Green Party will hold the following portfolios:
Climate Change Associate Finance Associate Transport Conservation
Women
Land Information New Zealand Associate Environment Associate Health
Under secretary to the Justice Minister (Domestic and Sexual Violence)
Some of the big parts of the Green Party/Labour confidence and supply agreement include:
Introduce a Zero Carbon Act with a goal of net zero emissions by 2050
A referendum on personal cannabis use by 2020
Establish an independent Climate Commission. This would have the power to bring agricultural emissions in but would not do this immediately
All new legislation to have a climate impact assessment analysis
Investigate a Green Transport Card to reduce public transport costs
Reprioritise spending towards rail and cycle infrastructure
Stop the Auckland East-West link Begin work on light rail to the airport in Auckland
‘‘Significantly increase’’ the Department of Conservation’s funding
Remove ‘‘excessive’’ benefit sanctions
Make progress on eliminating the gender pay gap within the core public sector
A rent-to-own scheme as part of KiwiBuild
Re-establish the Mental Health Commission
A wind-down on the governmentsubsidised irrigation
Other NZ First policy requests included
A $1b per annum Regional Development (Provincial Growth) Fund, including:
Significant investment in regional rail.
Planting 100 million trees per year in a Billion Trees Planting Programme.
Commissioning a feasibility study on the options for moving the Ports of Auckland, including giving Northport serious consideration.
Other large-scale capital projects. On the economy Labour and NZ First have agreed to review and reform the Reserve Bank Act, as well as progressively increase the minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2020, with the final increase to take effect in April 2021.
The policy against foreign buyers of existing houses sees the parties agree to strengthen the Overseas Investment Act and undertake a comprehensive register of foreignowned land and housing.
As a further part of the NZF/ Labour agreement, it was revealed that there would be:
No new parliamentary building to proceed this term.
Independent review of the integrity of electoral processes and enrolments.
Review the processes of parliament to reflect an MMP environment.
Introduce and pass a ‘Waka Jumping’ Bill.
There is nothing in the section about the 99 MPs proposal.
Ms Ardern has also signed an agreement with the Green Party .
‘‘I want to thank James Shaw and all the Green Party for the work that went into the negotiations that have formed a solid working relationship. Taken as a whole you will see from this agreement and both agreements signed today the consensus that exists between us all. We will be a government for all New Zealanders,’’ she said.
She spent the weekend cloistered with her advisers and kitchen Cabinet allocating portfolios and nailing down the details of coalition agreements.
She is not sworn in as prime minister until tomorrow.
‘‘I want to thank James Shaw and all the Green Party for the work that went into the negotiations that have formed a solid working relationship ... We will be a government for all New Zealanders.’’
Prime Minister elect Jacinda Ardern
National leader and outgoing Prime Minister Bill English has announced he will stay on as leader through the next election.
English was re-elected unopposed as leader by his caucus yesterday.
He committed to staying on as the Opposition leader – a position he has held before – for at least the next three years.
Deputy leader Paula Bennett will also stay on.
‘‘We have a unique situation in that 44 per cent of New Zealand want to see us continue to fight for a positive New Zealand,’’ English said.
‘‘I, as the leader, got significantly more votes than the new prime minister and we have more seats than the governing coalition.
‘‘We will hold [the Government] to the high expectations that they have created, for instance that incomes will rise and that they will make significantly better progress on some of the more challenging social and environmental issues.
‘‘The National opposition have a more positive view about New Zealand’s prospects than the New Zealand Government.’’
English said the policies looked quite expensive and his party would be keeping an eye on the Government books and policy efficiency. He did not believe his party would roll him at any point in search of generational change.
‘‘I am confident in the discipline and focus of the caucus. They are keen in the near-term to make sure that we continue the campaign for a positive outlook for New Zealand and hold the new Government to account.
‘‘I’m sure my performance will be under scrutiny just like everybody else’s is.’’
He said the caucus had been ‘‘sober but positive’’.
‘‘This is a group of motivated people who now want to get on with the job of being a successful and positive Opposition.
‘‘Almost one in two New Zealanders are disappointed that we are not the Government.’’
He wouldn’t rule out some of the team leaving however, saying any news about that would come ‘‘later in the cycle’’.
English conceded that National might need to make more friends in Parliament to be able to form a government in 2020.
‘‘Clearly part of our job in the next three years is to ensure there are options for a National-led government after the next election.’’
English, 55, led the National Party to its worst ever defeat in 2002.
He more than doubled the party vote from that result in 2017, but failed to form a government.