“We’re having our first meeting for the year in West Auckland. That’s a clear signal to Auckland that we do recognise that we needed to win back support in Auckland and we’ve been working hard on that over the last two years,” Hipkins said.
This is a no-brainer if Labour wants to return to Government. You can’t win an election without winning Auckland.
In 2023, however, Auckland turned its back on Labour as the party lost some of what it thought were its safest electorates, including New Lynn and Mt Roskill.
Labour also came close to losing the forever red Mt Albert, the former electorate of Helen Clark and Dame Jacinda Ardern.
It was clear that Aucklanders were severely punishing the former Ardern and Hipkins Government for its policies and action during the Covid years.
It was a time when our government was professing empathy, but many Aucklanders would say they felt the opposite from Wellington.
In an editorial last year about the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Covid-19, the Herald on Sunday highlighted the mental scars that had been left with Aucklanders – particularly from the extended lockdown in the second half of 2021.
The impact on their lives was so great, with jobs and businesses lost, funerals of loved ones missed, and mental health challenges taking a toll.
For many Aucklanders, they will not forget, nor will they forgive the politicians in charge at the time.
Since then, there appears to have been a growing notion of a them, down on Lambton Quay, and us notion in our country’s biggest city.
Hipkins appears to acknowledge the challenge he and the party face. He told the Herald that although support in Auckland was “continuing to increase”, the party has “still got more work to do”.
“We’ve certainly got more up our sleeves that you’ll hear about more in the coming months but … there will be a dedicated strategy around Auckland.”
The party has already promised all New Zealanders three free GP visits, funded by a capital gains tax.
Many more policies will be released in the coming months.
But policy alone won’t win back key Auckland electorates for Labour, and Hipkins realises this.
If Labour is to win this year’s election, it needs to be by winning the city’s trust.