The Labour government has one of the biggest Māori caucuses this country has ever seen, yet a recent Horizon research poll showed that 17% of Maori would not vote for Labour in the next general election.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talked to Te Ao Tapatahi about her strategy to win Māori back from such a popularity hit.
Ardern said she hoped the funding injection of $2 million into the Maori Health Authority would have a positive impact on her and Labour's reputation.
“We are working really hard to fulfil the commitments that we gave to Māori voters at the last election, so we can earn their support for the next one.”
Identifying that New Zealand is suffering from a cost of living crisis Ardern's cabinet had decided to cut the cost of fuel by 25c, the cost of road user charges and slashed the cost of public transport by half.
“I was observing the prices rapidly rising as a result of the war on Ukraine, on top of the supply constraints of the pandemic and you had this perfect storm,” she said.
Long-term plans, too
Ardern admitted that these were short-term measures for a significant problem but she said Labour had made long-term plans in tackling future rises in the price of living, starting with the Family Tax Credit for families, superannuates, students and beneficiaries starting on April 1, with the winter energy payment on May 1. “Those are long-term measures, here to stay.”
Despite people in the oil industry calling for the reopening of the Marsden Point Refinery, Arderndidnt agree and said that “it doesn’t impact our supply.”
She also said she stood by her stance of transition away from fossil fuels saying Kiwis need to move to more efficient vehicles. "Hybrids and EVs are expensive right now. That’s why we are trying to subsidise them for families, make them cheaper as an option and support that transition," she said.