Chris Hipkins ‘Just Getting Warmed Up’ At First Public Meeting

Lauren
Crimp Political reporter

Labour
leader Chris Hipkins has declared he’s just getting warmed
up, as some voters questioned why the energy he brought to a
public meeting was not
getting cut through outside it.

More than 100
people, plus a pet cat, crowded into a community centre in
the Lower Hutt suburb of Naenae on Wednesday night to hear
from Hipkins at his first public meeting of this election
campaign.

The meeting was held two days after Labour
suffered a shocker Taxpayers Union-Curia poll result which
saw it slump
to 25.9 percent.

Hipkins received a warm
reception, and many of his answers were met with
applause.

Labour MP and Hutt South candidate Ginny
Andersen introduced Hipkins as “The Right Honourable boy
from the Hutt”, and he followed with a brief speech about
his local roots and what he learned from his
parents.

“They believed, as I believe now, you should
be able to get … ahead through your own hard work,” he
said.

But for too many Hutt Valley families, that was
not the case, Hipkins said.

“They’re working harder
than ever … and it’s not enough.”

Hipkins
told the room Labour would help them get ahead, and promoted
its flagship cost of living policies like three free GP
visits and the public transport fare cap.

For just
under an hour the crowd threw up the full gamut of
questions, canvassing healthcare, housing, beneficiary
support, local government, climate change, pay equity, fuel
tax, and the new water entity Tiaki Wai.

Hipkins
promised Labour policies
were imminent on supermarket competition, foodbank
support, a bipartisan approach to the school curriculum and
benefit eligibility.

One woman stood up to say people
she spoke to did not know of Labour’s
policies.

“Tonight I hear someone with fire in his
belly and fire in his voice,” she said.

“I don’t know
why some of that just isn’t getting cut
through.”

Hipkins replied: “Well, you’ll be pleased to
know I’m just getting warmed up.”

He acknowledged that
people had not yet heard what Labour had to offer, and said
he would be embarking on a busy public meeting circuit over
the next eight weeks.

Attendees
RNZ spoke to after the meeting were largely impressed with
how Hipkins held the room and ably answered
questions.

But they pointed out it was the first time
they had seen that level of performance.

“He certainly
spoke with passion, and I think that it’s not coming out …
in the media about the clarity of their policies,” a Labour
supporter said.

Another, who said she would give
Hipkins her candidate vote and Opportunity her party vote,
was “pleasantly surprised” by Labour’s leader, describing
him as articulate and passionate.

Before that evening,
that had not come across at all, she said.

One man
told RNZ he was a swing voter who had not been impressed by
any party, and the Labour meeting had not changed that
position.

“Neither party has really convinced me of
the way forward,” he
said.

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