NZ First Minister Shane Jones took his barnstorming “War on Woke” speaking tour to the heart of urban suburbia yesterday and once again packed out a venue.
There was standing room only for a crowd of around 250 in Lower Hutt as Jones invoked Donald Trump and Nigel Farage in what he told reporters was a testing of the market for their kind of politics.
So, the predominantly over-65, mostly white audience heard a promise to hold a referendum on pulling out of the Paris Climate Change Accord and demands for changes to the genetic modification legislation.
In between there was a scathing attack on the Maori Party, one-liners about the country being called New Zealand, not Aotearoa and occasional references to the party leader, (or Rangatira as Jones likes to call him) Winston Peters.
But the suspicion must be that what we are also seeing with Jones on the road is the first glimpse of what could be New Zealand First’s succession plan.
If that is the case, Winston Peters might need to start having some concerns.
Jones is pulling the crowds, and judging by the reception he got in Lower Hutt, they like what they are hearing.
This follows packed meetings in Nelson and New Plymouth where so many turned up he had two sessions.
At the heart of his pitch is his campaign for cheaper electricity to prevent the “de-industrialisation” of New Zealand.
This also requires a retreat from some climate change actions.
And because he knows the audience, he wraps it all up into a critique of the United Nations.
“The name of our party is New Zealand First,” he said.
“We’re not Global First, we are not UN First, but no one can challenge New Zealand sending its men and women to areas of danger or doing the heavy lifting in our own neighbourhood in the Pacific,” he said.
“We’re not a type of nation that races off without challenging these dictates, etc, from the United Nations.
“If you’ve got any doubt about that, just listen to what I said about climate change; the only politician from the only party in New Zealand who is seeking to turn climate change on its rear end.”
He said that New Zealand would not have themost affordable and secure energy and electricity in the OECD unless we used our own natural resources, natural gas and our coal where necessary.
“If you are wind-based, solar, wind and various other things… That’s on you,” he said.
“But don’t let these green dreams drive us into poverty, drive all our young people away to Australia, where they see no future, only for new migrants coming from the third world to replace our own children and grandchildren.”
So his answer is two-fold.
First, he would pull New Zealand out of the Paris Accord on Climate Change.
He said there would be a remit calling for a referendum on this at his party’s upcoming national conference.
“There should be a referendum as to what New Zealand can afford, what it can agree to, and who the hell is going to pay for it,” he said.
At the same time, he wants reform of the electricity market.
“It’s time we stopped talking about de-industrialisation and started to reindustrialise our nation,” he said.
“The only way we’re going to do that is to join my crusade to drive the cost of power, electricity, and energy down in our nation.”
Jones is directly challenging the current free market model, and both that and his call for a referendum on climate change conflict with current Government policy.
There is a review of the electricity market currently being carried out for Energy Minister Simon Watts, but NZ First has made it known they don’t have much faith in it, given that the consultancy doing the review, Frontier Economics, has acted as a consultant to Contact Energy, one of the existing gentailers.
Jones’ proposal to hold a referendum on pulling out of the Paris Accord poses all sorts of issues for the coalition.
ACT’s Climate Change spokesperson, Simon Court, has been hinting heavily at Select Committee hearings that his party would favour a withdrawal from Paris.
But the Prime Minister has been adamant that New Zealand would not withdraw from Paris.
Speaking at Field Days in June, he said so far only Iran, Libya, Yemen and the United States had pulled out of the agreement.
“Do not be naive and think there will not be implications if we leave a global commitment,” he said.
Some countries and NZ’s competitors would relish the opportunity, using it as a reason to impose non-tariff barriers on our exports.
But Jones discounts his.
“There’s nothing to stop private sector firms from running their own climate change program,” he said.
“There is nothing stopping any of these exporters from doing it of their own volition.
“That’s different from having a systemic burden throughout the economy that is creating de-industrialisation.”
NZ First’s proposal for a referendum will test the coalition and make agreeing on any future coalition between the current three governing parties more difficult.
But that is not the only area where he indicated yesterday that NZ First would challenge the Government.
It appears that New Zealand First now has reservations about the Gene Technology Bill, which is currently before the Environment Committee.
The National-NZ First coalition agreement allowed for the introduction of the legislation.
It said the parties would liberalise genetic engineering laws while ensuring strong protections for human health and the environment.
NZ First MP Mark Patterson gave the introduction of the legislation a cautious welcome.
“There is often a difference between the enthusiasm of scientists for this technology and consumers, and we must look to understand that,” he said.
“We have to be alert and humble enough to recognise that truism.
“We must also be compatible with our trading partners. There is no point getting too far ahead of ourselves in that regard.”
Jones said yesterday that NZ First was now working with Science Minister Shane Reti to modify the Bill to make it more acceptable.
“The bill must contain suitable safeguards as was negotiated in the coalition agreement,” said Jones.
“The key point for the GMO is that we’ve always said, whilst it’s a key feature of the Government’s policy agenda, there must be agreeable safeguards.
“And both (Science Minister) Dr (Shane) Reti in particular knows that, and that’s the subject of the work that he’s doing at this very point in time with caucus members.”
Currently, the Bill is proposing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate the introduction of any genetically modified organisms.
Jones is unimpressed with that.
“The EPA have demonstrated that they’ve turned fast track into farcical track, and part of the difficulty with the process going forward with the GMO legislation is the fitness of the EPA,” he said.
There is a political theme to all this.
“If you look at America, Trump has shown that there’s a thirst for something other than the orthodoxy, because let’s face it, Trump has done something with the Republican party that earlier Republicans wouldn’t recognise,” said Jones.
“Farage has got the same dynamic working for him over in the UK.
“And the reason that Winston and the board encouraged me to have these meetings and smaller meetings is to test the market and to ascertain what it is that people are looking for.
“They’re looking for boldness, they’re looking for imagination, but most importantly, they’re looking for delivery.”
So why isn’t Winston holding the meetings?
“Next year, Winston’s appearance at meetings should be seen like a marquee event,” said Jones.
“He is the master performer.
“So, I’ve been to relatively smaller places, like the Hutt today, but no one’s going to eclipse or surpass the Rangatira.
“But having said that, a bit of oratory doesn’t go astray from time to time.”
The Hutt is not New Zealand First country.
It got its 40th highest party vote (out of 65 electorates) there last election.’
But now Jones moves his travelling roadshow on to NZ First stronghold electorates, Whangarei, Tauranga and Warkworth.
Party officials are buoyed by the reception he has been getting so far. That reception should, theoretically, be even more enthusiastic over the next three weekends.
It won’t be doing much for the peace of mind of the coalition, but it is a strong signal that NZ First and its populist Trump-style politics can get the crowds out.
It looks like the next election campaign has already begun.
