Page 8 - IB Nov 2017

Politics Tonga election Pohiva faces challenge: P10
Media Call to probe journo’s death: P12

SPORTS OPINION

Labour stuns electorate

Taking NZ

in 80 days

By Netani Rika

IT took Jacinta Ardern just 80 days from taking
over as leader of a political party to becoming
New Zealand’s youngest prime minister.
When she replaced Andrew Little as leader
of the Labour Party, many political commenta-
tors saw her as a breath of fresh air but did
not believe she would be able to wrest power
from the National Party.
After a whirlwind campaign the Nationals
under former Prime Minister Bill English
held the greatest single majority in Parlia-
ment. Weeks of political manoeuvring saw
the Greens Party sign a confidence and
supply agreement with Labour and
confirm four of its MPs would be in
government – but not in the cabinet
– working on key campaign areas
such as climate change, conserva-
tion and women.
The Labour-Greens deal in-
cluded making New Zealand a net
zero emissions economy by 2050,
a substantial investment in alterna-
tive transport options such as walk-
ing paths and cycle ways, overhauling
the welfare system and committing to
protecting New Zealand’s 3000 threat-
ened plant and wildlife species.
By this time it was obvious that
the future lay with seasoned politician
Winston Peters and New Zealand First
with its nine seats. Ardern and Peters
hammered out a deal which saw the
NZ First leader confirmed as deputy
prime minister and responsible for
foreign affairs in the new govern-
ment.
Together they pledged to make
sure all New Zealanders would
share in the country’s economic
prosperity, which “must” go hand-in
hand with environmental responsibility.
This appeared to be a way of reaching
out to the Greens who may have been
sceptical about Peters. Other major
commitments include banning for-

8 Islands Business, , November 2017