National’s election poster features a leader other than Bridges | KiwiBuild may be absent from the next election
Comments from senior National figure Judith Collins invite speculation.
Yesterday, a “National Party 2020 election poster” appeared in the Herald’s weekend edition, the largest-circulation local weekend newspaper, and online. The advertiser also added the hashtags #National2020 and #Luxon2020.
Surprisingly, however, the leader featured in the campaign was not Simon Bridges but Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon.
The election poster
The advertisement was reportedly placed by a businessman named Steve Brooks. The poster immediately attracted considerable attention. After all, changing party leaders is no laughing matter!
The poster’s design morphed former leader John Key’s face into Christopher Luxon’s, clearly suggesting that Luxon would become National’s new leader.
However, a National spokesperson said the party had “absolutely nothing to do with” the advertisement. Air New Zealand also said Christopher Luxon knew nothing about it and did not know how it had come about.
Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon
Last week, Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon formally announced that he would leave his role in September this year, prompting rumours that he would leave business for politics. Luxon later said in an interview that he strongly agreed with National’s approach to governing.
Although National said it had not produced the poster, senior party figure Judith Collins’ comments about Christopher Luxon were intriguing. Before the poster appeared, Collins had said she would warmly welcome Luxon joining National and suggested he could stand in the Botany electorate.
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Botany is a National stronghold where virtually anyone the party puts forward is assured of victory.
As everyone knows, National has a tradition of parachuting in leaders from outside. If Christopher Luxon formally joins the party, will the unpopular Simon Bridges have to make way?
KiwiBuild in trouble, possibly absent from the next election platform
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday that there would still be a government housing programme at the next general election, but she could not guarantee KiwiBuild would be part of it.
KiwiBuild is the flagship policy of this Government’s housing programme, intended to build affordable homes for first-home buyers.
Progress has been deeply disappointing, however. As of 1 July, only around 10% of the first-year target of 1000 new homes had been achieved. Some completed homes had also attracted no buyers, forcing the Government to buy them back.
At yesterday’s post-Cabinet press conference, the media repeatedly asked Jacinda Ardern whether KiwiBuild would again be included in Labour’s policies for the next election.
Jacinda Ardern did not answer directly, instead saying: “We will still have a government building programme. The rest will be addressed in the policy reset to come. We will not scale back our efforts to ease the housing crisis.”
Housing Minister Phil Twyford
Housing Minister Phil Twyford said in the middle of this month that he was considering a “build-to-rent” programme and had sought advice on how to help developers build such rental housing.
Labour’s previous housing policy platform focused on tackling high house prices so people could afford to buy homes. First, the minister said renting would be the way to address housing problems. Then the Prime Minister said KiwiBuild might not be part of the next election platform. Does this suggest that KiwiBuild’s plan spanning 10 years and delivering 100,000 homes is nearing its end?