Sharkies-wearing ginga leader from the Hutt<\/a> and an Amazonian Pasifika pulatasi-wearing deputy leader from West Auckland.<\/p>\n“We look like we come from different worlds. Have we always agreed over our 17 years of working together? Hell no.<\/p>\n
“But do we share the same values and care enough about the same things to make it work? Abso-freaking-lutely.”<\/p>\n
![\"CTU](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4JX6PJW_Media_2_jfif\")
<\/p>\n
\nCTU members at the Labour Party’s AGM in 2025.
\nPhoto: Anneke Smith \/ RNZ\n<\/p>\n
‘Doesn’t it feel good to see those numbers rise?’ – Labour president<\/p>\n
Party president Jill Day said it was encouraging to see public support for Labour rebuilding.<\/p>\n
“Now I know the only poll that matters is the one on election day, but doesn’t it feel good to see those numbers rise?” she said, as members cheered.<\/p>\n
“To see those numbers rise, to feel the tide turning, to know that New Zealanders are putting their trust back in our party, our caucus, and our leader, Chris Hipkins.”<\/p>\n
![\"Jill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4JX6PJW_Media_3_jfif\")
<\/p>\n
\nJill Day at the Labour Party AGM in 2025.
\nPhoto: Anneke Smith \/ RNZ\n<\/p>\n
Day said it had been a tough couple of years.<\/p>\n
“Every time we think this National government has gone too far, it pushes a bit further.<\/p>\n
“It’s exhausting, it’s frustrating and it’s heartbreaking because behind every decision National makes, a real person is paying the price.<\/p>\n
“We see that in the mum, working two jobs, having to choose between petrol and kai for her kids, kaumatua waiting weeks for a GP appointment and teachers buying classroom supplies from their own pay.”<\/p>\n
Day said the party was busy organising ahead of the election and told members every call, leaflet and conversation mattered.<\/p>\n
“Our LECs are growing stronger, our volunteers are knocking on doors, our branches are welcoming new members, and we’re selecting candidates who know their communities, who are grounded in the issues and who will not back down from the hard work ahead.<\/p>\n
“Election 2026, will be won in the same way Labour has always won: by being visible, by being organised and by showing up, especially when it’s hard.”<\/p>\n
‘War on the union movement’ – union leader<\/p>\n
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) president Sandra Grey told Labour’s membership it had to give those in unions a reason to vote for the party.<\/p>\n
“The workers of New Zealand want real change. They want the union movement and New Zealand Labour to be bold and decisive, courageous and united, and we want you to make different economic choices so we all get our fair share.”<\/p>\n
She said the coalition had “declared war on the union movement”.<\/p>\n
“I challenge all of you as union members to stand proud every day and say ‘I am a worker in union’, because the more of us who say that every day, the less they can attack the wonderful leaders of the movement that are standing here with me today.”<\/p>\n
Grey said workers needed three things: a genuine place on the table, laws to protect their rights to be in a union and public services and infrastructure that met their needs.<\/p>\n
“We can’t build [the future] on our own, and you can’t either as the Labour Party.<\/p>\n
“You can’t build a better New Zealand without our voices, our support and our ongoing ideas and passion.”<\/p>\n
Sign up for Ng\u0101 Pitopito K\u014drero, a daily newsletter<\/a> curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chris Hipkins at the Labour Party AGM in 2025. Photo: Anneke Smith \/ RNZ Labour Party faithful are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[48,47,42,43,49,46,44,45,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-158849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-audio","tag-current-affairs","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-podcasts","tag-public-radio","tag-radio-new-zealand","tag-rnz","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}