“In It For You” is Labour’s latest “rallying cry” unveiled by Prime Minister and party leader Chris Hipkins today as part of its 2023 re-election campaign.
It follows “Let’s Do This” of 2017 and “Let’s Keep Moving” of 2020 under former leader, Dame Jacinda Ardern.
The new slogan is being launched alongside a billboard and social media campaign, which includes a video of Hipkins telling a bit of his backstory - including sporting a “bowl cut” in his early Labour Party years - and why he wants to be elected as Prime Minister.
“While I’ve only been in the job six months, I hope New Zealanders know I’m in it for them and I understand the challenges they’re facing,” he said.
“To fix the problems households are experiencing you have to understand them. My upbringing in the Hutt grounded me in the reality of working families with big aspirations and it’s those values that drive me every day.
“In this election I’ll be asking New Zealanders for a full term and my own mandate to deliver the change they want to see.”
It is now perilously close to the 30 per cent mark in two polls following a string of disruptions and issues with ministers, as well as ongoing strain on the economy and high inflation hitting people’s household budgets.
It appears that support however has simply gone further to the left, with the Greens on 9 per cent and Te Pāti Māori 5 per cent in the Taxpayers’ Union - Curia poll, meaning the left bloc as a whole is equal to National and Act.
This week also saw Hipkins push further into the centrist political ground, ruling out introducing either a wealth tax or a capital gains tax as long as he was leader, likely an attempt to regain some of those voters it had lost since the 2020 election.
In his campaign PR, he restated his pledge to get back to “bread and butter issues facing households”.
This followed his “reprioritisation bonfire” earlier in the year, where he scrapped dozens of policies in favour of supporting cost of living measures.
This election was the first chance for him to fully set his own agenda for a better future.
“Labour will be running a positive, forward-looking campaign that’s focused on cutting inflation, bringing down the cost of living, keeping people and communities safe and investing in education, health and housing.”
He said this approach was evident in the Budget with free prescriptions, cheaper public transport and more access to free early childhood education.
“Practical policies that help to bring down costs for families without driving up inflation. Labour’s upcoming campaign platform will continue this approach, with new policies that will tackle the bread and butter issues and help unlock our massive potential as a nation, while keeping a lid on inflation.”
There is no mention of climate change, the environment and child poverty/inequality issues - all core focuses of Ardern, and at the heart of potential support parties the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori.
Hipkins also took a dig at National leader Christopher Luxon, saying they were promoting “unaffordable tax cuts for the rich” that will “make inflation worse and drive up the cost of living.
“I acknowledge the past few years have been tough and not everything has been delivered perfectly. But a radical upheaval in direction would make things so much worse.
“When times are tough, Kiwis need a government that provides stability and certainty, one that’s on their side and in it for them – that’s what Labour and I offer.”
The National Party’s slogan is “Get Our Country Back On Track”, which they unveiled in May at the begging of their “Get NZ Back On Track” tour.
Luxon appeared to momentarily have forgotten this fact today when asked by the Herald about Labour’s new slogan, responding “I don’t think actually New Zealand needs slogans”.
“I think what New Zealand needs is real substantive answers to its challenges and its problems.”
When asked if that meant National would not have a slogan, Luxon replied: “Our slogan will be get our country back on track.”
It was then pointed out that he had confirmed National indeed had a slogan, to which Luxon replied: “Let’s say we get our country back on track.
“But the slogans are not what New Zealanders need right now.”
