Analysis: It was obvious Chris Hipkins would stay on as Labour’s leader – but it does make life harder for a party in need of a reset, writes political editor Jessica Mutch McKay.
Nobody was shocked when Chris Hipkins left Labour’s caucus meeting this week as the reconfirmed leader of the party.
It makes things easier for Labour short-term because Hipkins is good in a scrap, a quality the leader of the Opposition needs.
He’s already been in charge for 10 months, too, so he’s not going to be thrown in the deep end.
But his appointment does make it harder for Labour to have the refresh and reset it needs, particularly when it comes to tax policy.
The caucus are sticking with Chippy for now because he hasn’t been in the top job long and some think he hasn’t had the chance to give it a proper crack, what with the ministerial distractions and various natural disasters thrown at his feet.
It would also be unusual for a government to be voted out in its first term. Labour could be staring down the barrel of six years warming the opposition benches so it may not want to switch leaders right now. There’s also the small matter of no obvious replacement currently waiting in the wings.
A tough rebrand
Reflecting on Labour’s campaign, there are several things that should have been done better.
One of them was its tax policy. Hipkins ruled out a wealth tax and a capital gains tax and pushed for the GST off fresh fruit and vegetables instead. These were all captain’s calls that went against the wishes of his senior MPs.
Labour’s policy bonfire was big earlier this year and now Hipkins is trying to breathe life back into the embers, saying all policies are back on the table.
Having him at the helm is going to make it tough to rebrand Labour for 2026 because he was the face of these decisions; he was the one out selling them.
Hipkins was trying to drag Labour through the election by being moderate and not rocking the boat, but it didn't work.
Labour, of course, must now re-evaluate - and it may be that Hipkins needs to come out and admit he got it wrong and try again.
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