Ardern’s first job to start addressing divisions

If she made a promise to meet with [ farmers], she will. She follows through on what she says.

When Jacinda Ardern walked into Labour’s caucus room yesterday for the first meeting with her MPs after Winston Peters made her Prime Minister, there was no triumphalism or gloating.

There was no arm- pumping, just a few hugs as she walked past colleagues who were stamping and hooting with applause.

Her tone was sombre, as it had been the night before when she addressed the nation for the first time after Peters announced his decision.

She began with a light joke then told them they had been “gifted by the people of New Zealand an opportunity” — not that they had earned it, or that National had thrown it away. She told them now they had to earn it.

And reassured them that while their “allies” had allowed them into government, Labour was not beholden to their principles.

“We remain distinct parties,” she said.

Ardern’s first promise on Thursday night was to “govern for all New Zealanders”.

It effectively recognised not everybody will be happy about the new government — and a promise those who had not voted for them would not be neglected.

During the election, New Zealand was split almost evenly between left and right, change and certainty.

There was also the much talked about rural- urban divide. Ardern must set about trying to heal those divides.

Te Aroha farmer Andrew McGiven, an organiser of the infamous farmers’ protest rally in Ardern’s childhood hometown of Morrinsville during the campaign, said it was in the interest of farmers to have a good relationship with Labour.

“I still believe farming has an important part to play in this country . . . and it would be a great show of faith with her and her caucus to meet with farming leaders as soon as possible to see what common ground we have and how we can move forward.”

Although the water levy may be abandoned at the behest of NZ First, there was concern about trade agreements such as TPP, and economic and environmental policy.

Policy concessions to the Greens included “support for a shift in farming to more sustainable land use” and stronger regulations for water quality care as well as winding down government support for irrigation.

On trade agreements, McGiven did not believe the Government should deny exporters access to other countries for the sake of two fairly minor policy areas such as a ban on foreign buyers.

Asked if he trusted Ardern, he said he did not know her. “I’ll [ wait and see].” Former Labour MP and Ardern mentor Annette King says the urban- rural divide was overhyped for political purposes and Ardern would move quickly to try to dispel it.

“She’ll be very keen to dispel the myth that there is a country- city divide . . . this will be a government that is interested in all people.

“She will be very keen to bring that together. If she made a promise to meet with them, she will. She follows through on what she says.”

Asked how Ardern won Peters over, King said Ardern had showed her mettle.

“She was negotiating with our longest- serving member of Parliament, and with James [ Shaw] who was a personal friend of hers, and she was able to hold all those balls in the air . . . and pull them together. It was an amazing feat.”

Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger said: “Every election has created divisions, and Jacinda’s done it and Winston’s done it and the Greens have done it. That’s inevitable. But what the leaders now must do is reach across those divisions.”

His advice to her was not to hark back to a past that never really existed and instead look to the future.

As for the man who had made her Prime Minister — Winston Peters — Bolger said as soon as Peters put Ardern into the post he had become almost irrelevant. “He will find that out very quickly.”