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A different way of doing politics

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, June 29th, 2025 - 56 comments
Categories: jacinda ardern, labour, maori party, Peeni Henare, te pāti māori, Te Reo Māori, uncategorized, willie jackson - Tags:

The country was rocked this week by news of the death of Māori MP Takutai Tash Kemp.

A visibly distraught Peeni Henare spoke in Parliament about her death. He sang a soul touching lament and then spoke in Te Reo to express his sadness at her loss.

Henare and Kemp had battled for the Tamaki Makaurau seat last election. At the end of the count there were only 4 votes in it, although a recount extended this to 42 votes in Kemp’s favour. And there were allegations swirling about the use of Census Data and the role of Kemp’s Manurewa marae.

Normally one could expect a level of distance if not hostility given these circumstances.

But it is clear that there was a deep sense of togetherness and unity between Henare and Kemp.

Willie Jackson also gave an outstanding speech and said this:

When I look at Manurewa and I look at my brother Peeni Henare over here, who has almost been traumatised by this, you would not have believed that a war went on in South Auckland for that Tāmaki-makau-rau seat. You would not believe how tough it was-the different sides-how passionate people were, and people would have thought that they would have been enemies for ever. But their whanaungatanga ties them for ever and a day.

“I think that’s the difference with Māori politics. We will always be tied by our toto, by our whakapapa, and by our identity, and Peeni Henare and Tarsh Kemp couldn’t have been any closer. He’s shed a few tears for Tarsh today. We all have shed a few tears for Tarsh-a passionate, vivacious, magnificent woman-and it’s only right that we honour her today.”

Politics gets a bad rap and deservedly so. In the United States politics is a mess. Trump and his supporters have made the defiance of reality a core feature of his rule. There is no kindness, no empathy, just the desire to stick it to lefties, immigrants, the poor and the overwhelming majority of humanity living there.

Locally Act and NZ First in particular have engaged in the same sort of behaviour. It is the politics of division where the really important issues are ignored and attention focused on a series of announcements designed for social media beatups.

Hopefully what we witnessed in Parliament this week will return a trend to the politics of kindness that Jacinda Ardern practised. And one holding respect for Te Ao Māori at its core.

56 comments on “A different way of doing politics ”

  1. Kay 1
    29 June 2025 at 1:38 pm

    Hopefully what we witnessed in Parliament this week will return a trend to the politics of kindness that Jacinda Ardern practised

    Preceded by:

    There is no kindness, no empathy, just the desire to stick it to lefties, immigrants, the poor and the overwhelming majority of humanity living there.

    Locally Act and NZ First in particular have engaged in the same sort of behaviour.

    I can't believe for one moment that Seymour was sincere in his elegy in parliament the other day. He just said the right words because he had to. The politics of kindness will never happen with a RW government. It's nice to dream though.

    Reply
    • Anne 1.1
      29 June 2025 at 2:26 pm

      The politics of kindness will never happen with a RW government. It's nice to dream though

      I agree the current government falls into this category, but in the past there have been some National ministers who were highly regarded across the board. Admittedly most of them go back to the days prior to the introduction of Rogernomics. Brian Talboys comes to mind as does Ralph Hanan and Tom Shand before him. There were others including Don McKinnon from the Muldoon era. The Left hasn't always had full ownership of the politics of kindness. .

      That eulogy from Seymour was the work of an official in his office. All he did was to read it out.

      Reply
  2. Phillip ure 2
    29 June 2025 at 2:41 pm

    Re j.a./'kindness' in gummint:

    Wasn't that just an image-building thing..?..much like the claims that Hitler was a vegetarian..?

    Wasn't the reality we ended the time of j.a. with more homeless than when her time began..?..(as just one example of many fails..)..?

    How in anyone's dream is this.. beyond that image building..'kindness' in gummint..?

    Reply
    • barry 2.1
      29 June 2025 at 3:12 pm

      When j.a left office we had more people in emergency housing, but not on the streets. Now we have fewer in emergency housing and nobody knows where they have gone. The j.a. government was not perfect, but lets not make stuff up to slander it.

      Reply
      • Phillip ure 2.1.1
        29 June 2025 at 3:34 pm

        No..I can't be bothered relitigating/listing the fails/broken promises of the neoliberal-incrementalist j a. gummint…

        Emergency motel housing has been proven to be no sustainable solution..n'est ce pas..?

        I repeat ..j a. ..in real terms..left us with more homeless than when she arrived…

        And..from memory ..it was the tories who started the motel thing…

        Reply
        • Louis 2.1.1.1
          29 June 2025 at 4:28 pm

          "j a. ..in real terms..left us with more homeless than when she arrived…"

          Link, please.

          j.a.? or Ardern Labour government?

          Reply
        • SPC 2.1.1.2
          29 June 2025 at 4:46 pm

          Emergency housing and housing people in motels is not a synonym.

          It did begin in 2016.

          https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/17/new-zealands-motel-generation-caught-between-life-in-limbo-and-life-on-the-street

          Homeless numbers went up as per the March 2018 and March 2023 census date

          Not in real terms (per total population), but in total number.

          They might be going down because if the government directs people to a landlord house (or rents it off the landlord), they are no longer homeless like they were in the motel.

          It might even save money given what rates motels were getting.

          Reply
          • SPC 2.1.1.2.1
            29 June 2025 at 5:51 pm

            Not in real terms (per total population), but in total number.

            Check

            AI

            Stats NZ reported that in the 2023 Census, 112,496 people were estimated to be severely housing deprived, which is an increase from the 99,462 people in 2018. This represents a 2.3% and 2.1% share of the total population respectively

            It was higher in real and total terms.

            One reason might be that those Labour was housing in motels were seen as homeless.

            Reply
      • Bearded Git 2.1.2
        29 June 2025 at 5:04 pm

        Well said Barry.

        Phillip seems to have swallowed a large portion of the anti-Jacinda bile pedaled by the MSM.

        She (and finance minister Robertson) did a fantastic job in massively trying circumstances. The problem is that her policies riled a tiny number of self-entitled rich pricks who had the ear of the NZ Herald, Newstalk ZB etc etc.

        Reply
    • Louis 2.2
      29 June 2025 at 4:36 pm

      Kindess is real, not an image-building thing. Do you have any links to your claims?

      If memory serves, I recall the Key National government removed people from the housing waitlist and made it harder for people to get on it. Under Labour we had a true reflection of the number of homeless people that had been hidden under National, and didn't thousands of Kiwis flock home in record numbers during Covid?

      Reply
      • Phillip ure 2.2.1
        29 June 2025 at 4:49 pm

        What I say re fails of j.a. gummint…come from my general knowledge…and as re held by many other people..

        If there are holes in your general knowledge about this your question could have been answered in less time than it took to type your demand..

        So why don't you do that…and if you can prove me wrong..go for it .!

        But I ain't..eh..?… wrong that is..

        Reply
        • bwaghorn 2.2.1.1
          29 June 2025 at 5:08 pm

          Well my memories are of a raising homeless count because after 9 years of john key the nasties government homelessness got counted properly again , and labour got roofs over heads while trying to ramp up building, these cunts in power no have gone straight back to keys methods of kicking people of lists and into the shadows,

          you pure lefties are dicks

          Reply
          • Phillip ure 2.2.1.1.1
            29 June 2025 at 5:51 pm

            I guess you are a fan of the incrementalism of the labour party since..seemingly forever…

            Ok…

            But you should know that critiques of j.a. gummint are in no way to support the douchebags who currently rule over us…or who came before…

            The thing is.. incrementalism has been tried to death…

            It doesn't work….

            We can do things much better…

            And incrementalism kills any options to do it better..

            Reply
        • Louis 2.2.1.2
          29 June 2025 at 5:50 pm

          You could have answered the question by providing links to back up your opinions, Phillip.

          Reply
          • Phillip ure 2.2.1.2.1
            29 June 2025 at 5:56 pm

            And you could have answered your own questions…no need to involve me in plugging those knowledge gaps…eh..?

            Google has AI now…

            I assume that people posting here are not lying per se..
            They are expressing views contrary to mine.. that’s fine..
            But I assume they are not just making stuff up…
            And if they do ..many eyes here to pull them up on it..
            So I rely on those self-regulation demands…to police that..

            Reply
            • Incognito 2.2.1.2.1.1
              29 June 2025 at 6:04 pm

              Louis is correct, this is how it works here on The Standard and you’ve been around here long enough to know this, so I don’t know why you’re acting like an obnoxious child about it!? The onus is on the one who makes the claim, i.e., on you.

              However, some people exhibit trollish behaviour and take it too far, i.e., they’re sealioning.

              Reply
              • Phillip ure …
                29 June 2025 at 7:03 pm

                Please just delete the offending comment..

                (In precis..this link thing is from a time it was needed ..when internet was slow..use expensive etc etc…

                That was then..this is now…when anyone can ask anything anytime..and get fast answers..

                It could also be argued that providing a link with a story is an attempt to manipulate the conversation…

                I have never asked anyone for a link..(see above comment re trusting other commenters)..and if I have questions about a subject I will do my own research/evidence hunting..

                I would also note that 'because we have always done it that way' must be on the shortlist of spurious reasons to deny evaluating change…eh..?

                Reply
                • Phillip ure …
                  29 June 2025 at 7:15 pm

                  Especially when what is the problem that is meant to be fixed by this..?

                  I haven't seen commenters here posting outright lies…

                  It's a solution in search of a problem…

                  Reply
                  • lprent …
                    30 June 2025 at 1:55 pm

                    I haven't seen commenters here posting outright lies…

                    I have. Many many times over the last 18 years.

                    It tends to be a reduced problem these days because both the other commenters and the moderators are aware how it spoils robust debate. People making unsubstantiated assertions of fact that are merely personal opinions without a logical base that can be defended are just waste the time of everyone else.

                    Especially when what is the problem that is meant to be fixed by this..?

                    The site is for robust debate. That was in the first versions of our About and Policy pages back in 2007/8 by all_your_base back in 2007-02-13 and 2008-01-25 respectively. It was what the site was set up for.

                    The 'problem' it is that making unsubstantiated assertions of fact invariably leads to the kind of 'debate' that this turgid conversation shows. You asserted an unsubstantiated fact. Which on this site is viewed as lying until proven otherwise with some kind of evidence or background about why you think that.

                    Someone called you on that. You have then spent considerable effort avoiding and whining about being called to provide proof of your assertion.

                    We don't care if it expressed as being a opinion, all it takes is something like adding a phrase like "I think", "My understanding is", or the old classic "in my opinion" etc.

                    An opinion tends to be about as respected as the commenter is already viewed by others. If they usually talk complete shite, then it will often get ignored, but may start a debate just to flesh out how that opinion was arrived at. If the opiner has a reputation for having well thought out opinions, then they will usually get debate.

                    If an opinion has some kind of reasoning for how that opinion was arrived at or the reasons for it, then the comment is usually viewed more favourably. There is protein to fuel debate.

                    It's a solution in search of a problem…

                    Nope. It is a problem in search of a solution… In this case, in my opinion, it is Phillip ure desperately looking for a moderator to grant phill u another educational ban.

                    It is educational because then every one else can stop reading interminable eternally repeated victimised whining like the comment I'm responding to. It gives room for robust debate to happen.

                    But be aware that moderators learn from experience and don't expect a ban to work any more the the last 20 or so times. However we can always hope… as we hand out long bans for peace and silence it engenders…

                    Reply
                • Louis …
                  30 June 2025 at 12:58 pm

                  On The Standard, it is not uncommon to request a poster for a link to back up a claim. It wasn't an unreasonable request, and it wasn't about manipulating the conversation; it was about verifying your claim. Several posts later, you still haven't provided anything, so I concluded it was just your opinion and nothing else.

                  Reply
                  • Phillip ure …
                    30 June 2025 at 5:44 pm

                    You are welcome to take what I say as my opinion…

                    (The stats dug up by others..thank you to them.. would seem to support what I said..but that is just my opinion)

                    In fact I shall take the advice of lprent..

                    ..and will preface my comments with IMHO…

                    ..when commenting from my general knowledge..

                    Reply
                    • Louis …
                      1 July 2025 at 6:23 pm

                      Good that you intend to clarify that what you post is an opinion, it will certainly save me from wasting my time.

                    • Phillip ure …
                      1 July 2025 at 9:14 pm

                      And it will save me from having my time wasted by you…

                      Everyone's a winner..!

                      Putting the pet in petty there pet…?

                    • Louis …
                      1 July 2025 at 11:20 pm

                      That's rather hypocritical of you, Phillip. After all, you were the one who made the claim, and then couldn't back it up. I hope you do take Iprent's advice seriously.

                    • SPC …
                      2 July 2025 at 10:12 pm

                      Louis

                      1.Your inability to provide any evidence to dispute what he said is noted.

                      2.Your refusal to note information on this blog trail confirming that census data showed a higher rate of homelessness (2018-2023) is also noted.

                      Phil,

                      the reason for this was not incrementalism – the period had the highest rate of house building (including 12,000 extra state houses) since the 1970's.

                      1.migration rates and 2.COVID nesting are population explanations.

                    • Louis …
                      3 July 2025 at 5:51 pm

                      @SPC The onus is on Phillip, who made the claim. To quote Incognito's response to Phillip see 2.2.1.2.1.1. Also refer to Iprent's response above.

                      'Louis is correct, this is how it works here on The Standard and you’ve been around here long enough to know this, so I don’t know why you’re acting like an obnoxious child about it!? The onus is on the one who makes the claim, i.e., on you."

                    • Louis …
                      3 July 2025 at 6:13 pm

                      @SPC https://thestandard.org.nz/a-different-way-of-doing-politics/#comment-2037468

                      Apologies, I didn't realize you wanted me to comment on your post. The following raises a question about the figures.

                      "But since then, the waitlist for social housing has ballooned to nearly 20,000 people.

                      DCM's director Stephanie McIntyre said that is, in part, because the true number of homeless people is no longer being hidden.

                      "Our experience previous to that, was that it was very easy for someone to get bounced off it and for them to disappear.

                      "There was a lot of smoke and mirrors around the way the housing list was managed under the previous government," she said."

                      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/election-2020/427216/labour-promised-big-on-housing-has-it-delivered

                    • Louis …
                      3 July 2025 at 6:29 pm

                      @SPC The Labour government's building program built more than 12,000 homes.

                      https://x.com/LouieTheRed1/status/1914832227315408987

      • Phillip ure 2.2.2
        2 July 2025 at 12:37 pm

        Re your 'kindness is real' comment…I presume you are saying that the j.a. gummint was 'real' in its 'kindness'.

        Do you have any evidence to back that assertion up . ?

        Or is it just an orifice-pluck on your part ..that we have to believe..?

        Reply
        • Drowsy M. Kram 2.2.2.1
          2 July 2025 at 1:47 pm

          Hey Phil, opining is OK, imho – if it's supported by evidence then even better. Based on personal experience, I disagree with some of your more negative assessments of "the j.a. gummint", but referring to contrary opinions as "orifice-plucks" isn’t for me.
          smiley

          Wasn't the reality we ended the time of j.a. with more homeless than when her time began..?..(as just one example of many fails..)..?

          Was that the reality? Ah well, a government can only do so much.

          Labour delivers 12,000 more public homes [22 June 2023]
          “The extraordinary pace of delivery from both Kāinga Ora and community housing providers under this Government is evident in communities across New Zealand. Every region of New Zealand has more public homes than when we became the Government.

          What a difference a year makes.

          Kāinga Ora review must not usher in new era of privatisation by stealth [20 May 2024]
          A review led by Bill English into Kāinga Ora has been described by public housing advocates as a way to reduce the state’s role in public housing, despite overwhelming evidence suggesting we need the state to build more state-owned houses to solve the housing crisis.

          Reply
          • Phillip ure ft 2.2.2.1.1
            2 July 2025 at 4:54 pm

            I find 'orifice pluck'to be a more acceptable version of: 'did you just pull that out of your arse..?'..so I will probably continue to use it..

            And re your links that appear to show how much worse the tories are..?..(i rarely read links..)

            .I feel I need to repeat that my criticisms are in no way a show of support for the coalition of clowns currently ruling over us…

            The only positive thing I can say about them ..is that they have taken their opportunity to do stuff….they haven't sat there for three years with an absolute majority …and under-delivered ..

            And what I hope this does to labour…is that they finally stop clinging to the tattered flag that is neoliberal incrementalism..

            Reply
            • Louis 2.2.2.1.1.1
              3 July 2025 at 6:00 pm

              "they haven't sat there for three years with an absolute majority"

              Jacinda's second term, after winning a majority, was taken up with the global pandemic, and plans were pushed aside as a consequence. The Ardern government still did a lot of work regardless. She used up her entire political capital trying to save as many lives as possible. I hate to think what NZ's death toll would have been if it had been National in power during that time.

              "Government’s strategy, which included closing the border, meant death rate was 80% lower than in the US"

              https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/06/new-zealand-covid-strategy-saves-lives

              Our Achievements

              bour.org.nz/our-record

              https://thestandard.org.nz/the-other-jacinda-book/#comment-2036071

              Reply
            • Louis 2.2.2.1.1.2
              3 July 2025 at 6:57 pm

              "The only positive thing I can say about them ..is that they have taken their opportunity to do stuff"

              Such as increasing homelessness?

              Homelessness up by 58% in Auckland
              WrittenBy: Mountain Tui – Date published:5:35 pm, June 7th, 2025

              https://thestandard.org.nz/homelessness-up-by-58-in-auckland/

              Reply
              • Phillip ure …
                3 July 2025 at 8:00 pm

                No…stuff that fits their right-wing agenda…

                Whereas labour with an absolute majority… didn't do the things promised to..and expected by…those who believed/voted for her ..

                (I understand she got a million bucks advance on her memoir..(according to sir Ian Taylor)…

                So as far as a political career goes… she's one of the 'sorted'….

                And you keep banging on about 12,000 houses over six years…

                We were promised 10,000 a year .

                So..y'know..?

                Reply
                • Louis …
                  3 July 2025 at 9:20 pm

                  "Whereas labour with an absolute majority… didn't do the things promised to..and expected by…those who believed/voted for her .."

                  Already answered that twice. For the third time, refer to 2.2.2.1.1.1

                  What does Jacinda's book have to do with anything? And what would Ian Taylor know?

                  Unlike Luxon, Jacinda didn't change the law to benefit herself personally, nor did she flip houses for an untaxed profit.

                  There was a housing target reset in 2019, however, the Labour government's building program built more than 12,000 homes, far exceeding the previous state home target of 2000.

                  https://thestandard.org.nz/a-different-way-of-doing-politics/#comment-2037785

                  Reply
  3. gsays 3
    29 June 2025 at 2:56 pm

    By all accounts Aotearoa, Tamaki Makaurau. TPM, and her whanau have a significant loss in the passing of Takutai Tash Kemp.

    While I have lauded Arderns' approach in the past, it is no longer enough.

    To rejig the title of the post-We need a way of doing different politics. I would suggest a way that puts children, people and environment before budgets, balance sheets, (the fiction refered to as the) economy and a short termed eye on re-election.

    The last thing we need is a kinder neo liberal party in charge.

    Reply
  4. thebiggestfish7 4
    29 June 2025 at 3:22 pm

    You are literally contributing to that politics of division by firing those shots at the end of what was a good post. Sad but not a surprise given how much Labour equally contributed to this division through their actions in the second half of the pandemic response.

    Reply
    • Phillip ure 4.1
      29 June 2025 at 3:39 pm

      The post is urging us to return to the 'kindness' of the j.a. era..

      Which is a political statement..and well worth responding to…in this forum..

      (And were you in Wellington..?..for the occupation..?)

      Reply
    • Louis 4.2
      29 June 2025 at 4:47 pm

      "Labour equally contributed to this division through their actions in the second half of the pandemic response."

      Was it really Labour, or was it anti-vaxxer hysteria, dirty politics from the opposition and clickbait media headlines?

      Reply
  5. Stephen D 5
    29 June 2025 at 7:55 pm

    It occurred to me, in the antithesis of this post, the way the CoC is behaving.

    They are modelling their behaviour on the colonial government of the 1860s. Throw people off their land/out of where they live, and forget about them.

    Reply
  6. Patricia Bremner 6
    30 June 2025 at 1:45 am

    A Government centered on wellbeing rather than growth in a finite world seems sensible to me.

    Reply
    • Drowsy M. Kram 6.1
      30 June 2025 at 8:53 am

      yes A(t)las, our CoC MPs believe economic growth is the only route to (their) wellbeing, contrary to the evidence from spaceship Earth. The govt is in thrall to Mammon.

      Reply
      • PsyclingLeft.Always 6.1.1
        30 June 2025 at 1:13 pm

        Update…Sir David Attenborough..someone I greatly admire and respect : 99 not out !

        Shane Jones and the rest of the scurvy NACT1 team…..out soon!

        Ocean .

        David Attenborough: Ocean comes out on the beloved presenter's 99th birthday, and it's a furious call to arms

        The beloved presenter's latest film is about the glory of the watery world that feeds us, cleans our air and could save us from climate catastrophe. But also about how we are killing it.

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens/tv/david-attenborough-s-ocean-a-furious-call-to-arms

        Reply
      • KJT 6.1.2
        30 June 2025 at 4:45 pm

        Which is laughable when their policies of disinvestment and austerity, have resulted in recession, unemployment, emmigration and stultification.

        Reply
        • Drowsy M. Kram 6.1.2.1
          30 June 2025 at 5:59 pm

          Which is laughable when their policies of disinvestment and austerity, have resulted in recession, unemployment, emmigration and stultification.

          Sounds "very negative, wet, [and] whiny" wink

          Unsurprisingly, the CoC is losing their growth game, but our inspirational and sorted CEO knows where to lay the blame – it’s Labour’s fault, or TPM.
          Isn’t that right, David.

          Hang in there Lux, another 18 months and you'll have 'earned' your knighthood.

          Reply

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