Twyford to chair Labour’s election campaign

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, September 28th, 2016 - 56 comments
Categories: election 2017, labour, phil twyford - Tags:

At the Herald:

Labour MP Phil Twyford has been given a leading role in the party’s election campaign next year.

Twyford has been made Labour’s campaign chairman, which puts him charge of strategy for the election.

The Te Atatu MP was given the role because of his seniority in the caucus, his campaign experience and his strong performance in Parliament, especially in the housing portfolio.

He will also chair Labour’s campaign in a likely Mt Roskill by-election, which will be triggered if Labour’s Mt Roskill MP Phil Goff wins the Auckland mayoralty.

Good luck Phil.

56 comments on “Twyford to chair Labour’s election campaign ”

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  1. Patrick Leyland 1
    28 September 2016 at 5:43 pm

    Does anyone know the difference between this role (campaign chair) and the campaign manager position – held by general secretary Andrew Kirton?

    • Craig H 1.1
      28 September 2016 at 5:55 pm

      I don’t know for sure, but would guess it’s like the difference between a CEO and Chairperson of the Board i.e. Andrew will run the campaign, particularly the day to day stuff, and Phil will be Chairperson of the governance group.

    • DISTURBED 1.2
      29 September 2016 at 1:15 pm

      I guess Phil will be the opposite to Steven Joyce as “campaign manager” for John Key?

      Phil is very bright and an expert at focusing on issues as he did in Housing and Transport as with Our Gisborne rail he fought hard than anyone else did to expose the government for underfunding the Gisborne rail that caused the washouts because Government deliberately starved the provinces funding for rail maintenance

      see this as his Labour media prowess..

      http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm

      Phil Twyford
      Transport Spokesperson
      14 February 2013
      KiwiRail admits lack of maintenance led to wash-out
      KiwiRail has admitted that its failure to maintain old and damaged culverts was behind the wash out that closed the Gisborne-Napier line, while cuts to its maintenance budget are putting the network at further risk, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
      “Across the country KiwiRail missed its target of replacing 71 old culverts last year, and only replaced 49. This is cause for alarm.
      “The Gisborne-Napier wash-out shows what happens when essential maintenance work is not carried out.
      “KiwiRail cut and deferred $200 million of network maintenance last year. At the very time it needs to be upgrading its network and improving efficiency, the Government’s unrealistic ‘Turn Around Plan’ is putting enormous stress on the organisation and forcing it to cut maintenance.
      “KiwiRail has told Parliament’s transport committee it has 12,197 rail line culverts around the country and has done a risk assessment identifying 53 high priority culverts but ‘…in spite of every effort to mitigate risk, some incidents of wash out may still occur…’
      “National’s plan for rail is not workable. KiwiRail has missed its financial targets for two of the last three years. It is being forced to make cuts that are a false economy.
      “At a time when the Government is wasting billions of dollars on its ‘motorways of madness’, it makes no sense to cripple the national rail line.”
      ENDS

  2. Sacha 2
    28 September 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Is this really a good thing? Someone signed off on the Chinese surname foot-in-mouth plan, hopefully not Twyford himself if that’s the level of nous on offer.

    • Lanthanide 2.2
      28 September 2016 at 6:43 pm

      +1

    • Muttonbird 2.3
      28 September 2016 at 6:50 pm

      -1

    • john 2.4
      28 September 2016 at 7:07 pm

      well racism doesn’t seem to both either the labour party or many on here.

      Go figure?

      • Muttonbird 2.4.1
        28 September 2016 at 7:16 pm

        Oh yes? Please regale the board how Twyford and the Labour Party are racist.

        • john 2.4.1.1
          29 September 2016 at 10:47 am

          Been living under a stone have you?
          Chinese sounding surnames, ring any bells?
          Any “study” produced as dear old Phillis Twyford produced. Is not only racist in it’s approach and connotation it is incompetent in it’s methodology.
          Labour’s support and obviously your support, lends itself to the allegation of racism.

    • Rae 2.5
      29 September 2016 at 1:13 am

      Sorry, but something had to be done and given that Chinese names are actually very identifiable by dint of the fact they have not interacted (as it were) with the rest of the world for long, it stood to be revealing. They have not been Anglicized as for example the name Li, which is almost certain to be Chinese, whereas Lee is probably European in origin or could be Korean. They have not, yet, by and large, intermarried.
      There was no other effort being put in to identify how many houses were being sold to foreigners and running a ruler over the number of properties being sold to actual Chinese names, not Chinese sounding ones, compared to the number who lived here was a reasonable way to come up with an equation, it did not necessarily reveal or even set out to, that all Chinese were foreigners or that all sales to foreigners were to Chinese, but it DID give us an idea that there was an imbalance that needed further investigation.
      I know this is an unpopular view, but something just had to be done, and it was reasonable to imagine that a great number of Chinese were seeking to get money out of China because of their political system and the system of property “ownership” there, but as the rest of the world is finding, that money is doing serious damage to their citizens, which, incidentally, includes people of Chinese descent.

      • john 2.5.1
        29 September 2016 at 10:52 am

        NO nothing had to be done. As was seen by the research later.
        This was blatantly racist and an attempt to blame that race for a problem that had been endemic in Auckland for many years and almost entirely down to the lack of planning and action by successive Auckland councils as too the roading and all the blocks put in the way of past Govt.’s both Labour and National.

        • Groundhog 2.5.1.1
          29 September 2016 at 2:35 pm

          And it was dumb politics. Labour’s finances are in a parlous state, and it is difficult to see much in the way of funds coming to Labour from the Chinese, or wider asian communities.

          • john 2.5.1.1.1
            29 September 2016 at 3:26 pm

            perhaps Labour are hoping for access to various union slush funds.
            Or perhaps they are looking to produce another “pledge card” using parliamentary services (ie TAX PAYERS money/ our money) to promote themselves?????

        • TheBlackKitten 2.5.1.2
          2 October 2016 at 10:45 am

          If shortage created by the Auckland council is the only cause then why are other cities around the world also experiencing the same issues of house prices rising above the average income earners reach?

      • Jerko 2.5.2
        30 September 2016 at 10:36 am

        Rae, no need to apologize if thems the facts. It is true in most western cities. The Chinese are taking over. Vancouver for example has now slapped a 15% tax on properties sold to foreigners and the market has dropped. Where I live in California – a smallish University town. The population doubles during term time. It’s pretty bloody obvious who the foreign students are and I don’t need to know their names. Not only that the women are frequently pregnant and or walking around with young children who would have been born as US citizens. For all of the political correct comments here it’s good to see yours which is a reflection of the facts. So to you I say please – don’t apologize. And to the others, – wake up!

  3. red-blooded 3
    28 September 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Hey, give the guy some credit – he’s created some real cut-through in the Housing portfolio.

  4. WILD KATIPO 4
    28 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Got a lot of time for Phil Twyford, to meet him in person you will see a very quietly spoken chap , to see him in full flight in parliament is to see a tiger.

    He quietly expressed his opinions about neo liberalism , and the contempt for that ideology was almost palpable. Hes one of the decent ones who has the people of this country at heart. And we could do with far more like him.

    • Richard Rawshark 4.1
      28 September 2016 at 6:48 pm

      TY WK, Nice to hear a reference from someone living and not a campaign poster or TV slot.

      I may re-evaluate my perceptions 🙂

    • Anne 4.2
      28 September 2016 at 6:57 pm

      Phil Twyford is a brilliant organiser and has commanded loyalty, respect and admiration from all those who have ever been involved in any of his campaigns. I can’t think of a better person for the job.

      • Jilly Bee 4.2.1
        28 September 2016 at 7:44 pm

        Hear, hear Anne. I lived in Phil’s electorate before I departed the mad Auckland scene last year for the quieter life in Waikato – you know the old tale, ‘you can take the girl out of Waikato, but can’t take Waikato out of the girl’. Phil is a great MP – I first met him through working (volunteering) in Helen Clark’s Mt Albert office for the two elections we lived there. I quietly thought then he had leadership potential and I still do.

      • Chris 4.2.2
        28 September 2016 at 8:40 pm

        Maybe, but he will have to have learned his lesson on the way he approached certain aspects to problems affecting Auckland house prices.

      • RedLogix 4.2.3
        29 September 2016 at 12:22 am

        Thanks Anne; always good to hear first hand from someone you trust.

    • mosa 4.3
      28 September 2016 at 7:06 pm

      Katipo why did he not stand for the leadership ?
      I have seen him front the housing issue and he is very good and performs exceptionally well in parliament and seems well liked and he has had a lot of exposure.
      He holds a pivotal West Auckland seat and that will help with a possible Roskill By election and the Auckland campaign next year.

  5. Colonial Viper 5
    28 September 2016 at 7:26 pm

    GR keeping his hands clean, I see, a clever man that one.

  6. mosa 6
    28 September 2016 at 7:29 pm

    Talking about Roskill does anyone know if a credible poll has been taken in this electorate and if the Greens withdraw will that have an effect.

    Swordfish may have the answer ?

    • muttonbird 6.1
      28 September 2016 at 7:41 pm

      From memory the Green candidate vote was under 2000 in the 2014 election.

      There are a couple of things at play in Roskill. One is the working class, disenfranchised vote who will want change, and the other is the new and recent immigrant vote who will vote for the status quo.

      • pat 6.1.1
        28 September 2016 at 9:47 pm

        why do you assume immigrants will wish to vote for status quo….it appears an unwarranted statement especially in light of the fact it is immigrants seeking to start a new party….that suggests a desire for change does it not?

    • Anne 6.2
      28 September 2016 at 7:51 pm

      A significant portion of the Mt Roskill electorate is of Indian ethnicity. I think Labour might be concerned about the effect the new Indian political party could have on their voting numbers. The Green vote should help offset the loss incurred to the new party.

      Apart from that, they have an excellent candidate in Michael Wood and with the added benefit of Twyford running the campaign for him, the end result should be a reasonable win for Labour.

    • swordfish 6.3
      29 September 2016 at 2:08 pm

      “does anyone know if a credible poll has been taken in this electorate” ?

      Not that I know of.

      By-Election Polls are usually carried out during the campaign itself and released immediately before polling day (ie during the final week). That’s assuming there are any in the first place – I think I’m right in saying that of the 7 By-Elections conducted since 2008, Public Polls were carried out in just 3 – Northland, Te Tai Tokerau and Mt Albert.

      Knowing New Zealand’s broadcast media, an Auckland-based By-Election probably has a better chance of being polled than elsewhere – certainly if that elsewhere is unlucky enough to find itself located south of the Bombay Hills – a mysterious no-mans-land populated by wildlings to TVNZ and TV3.

      ” … if the Greens withdraw will that have an effect” ?

      Have a look at my comment here …
      https://thestandard.org.nz/mt-roskill-by-election-cooperating-parties-cooperate-shock/#comment-1226231

  7. Red 7
    28 September 2016 at 7:59 pm

    At least the next mp for mt roskill won’t live in the white elite conclave of Clevedon

    • Jilly Bee 7.1
      28 September 2016 at 8:08 pm

      Yeah Red, just like the PM – the MP for Kumeu, who lives in Parnell.

      • Red 7.1.1
        28 September 2016 at 8:27 pm

        Working class, Parnell and Kumeu just like working class Clevedon and Mt Roskill, yeah right Jilly Bee good comparison

      • Anne 7.1.2
        28 September 2016 at 8:37 pm

        Jilly Bee you have reminded me of an amusing story… after the last set of boundary changes, a corner of the leafy Epsom electorate was placed in the Mt Roskill electorate. The inhabitants of this leafy corner were horrified. They lobbied hard… leafleted hard… and generally made so much noise the MSM heard them and took up their cause. Their reported concern was: there was no community of interest with Mt Roskill so therefore they should be allowed to stay in Epsom. There was a rapid ‘change of heart’ by the boundary changes committee and the electorates were reset back to their original boundaries.

        The truth of their concern was part racist and part to do with the values of their property which they believed would plummet. Electorate boundaries have no bearing on suburb boundaries so their claims were a load of codswallop, but that didn’t stop the powers that be from bowing to their demands.

      • peterlepaysan 7.1.3
        28 September 2016 at 9:10 pm

        I thought he lived in Hawaii.

    • Ad 7.2
      29 September 2016 at 11:29 am

      What’s wrong with living in Clevedon?

  8. mosa 8
    28 September 2016 at 9:39 pm

    Thankyou Muttonbird and Anne for that information.

    I grew up in Roskill not far from Akarana golf course on Dominion Rd and it was one of the Central Auckland Labour strongholds with the seat held for a long time by Mr Faulkner and then Mr Goff for Labour.
    Then the shock of National taking the seat in the 1990 landslide by Mr Myles.

    National seem to have captured the party vote in Roskill over the last few elections but returning a Labour MP to parliament.

    The Greens 2000 votes will help and be a good indicator of how the MOU will work at the next election, it will be an interesting watch.

  9. Ad 9
    29 September 2016 at 5:54 am

    Labour’s best performer by a country mile.

    Deserves a higher caucus ranking than he has.

    I’ve dealt with him a lot professionally and really like him.

  10. save nz 10
    29 September 2016 at 7:28 am

    As much as I think Twyford performs well – housing is Labours most polarising issue for voters. When Twyford was in the limelight with housing the poll came out and Labour were radically down. Now that Labour has shut up about housing and let the inevitable scandals from National dominate the airwaves like Havelock water supply then Labour surges up 8%.

    Lets hope Labour doesn’t blow getting into power, by obsessing with an issue that is likely to cost them the election if they read it wrong for most voters. (and by that I mean ordinary voters around the country not those lobbying hard for their special issues which they stand to profit from. We saw that enough with the unitary plan).

    We live in an age where anybody can lose their job or have their hours cut with little to zero compensation. It’s hard enough to buy a house, let alone keep it, so any knocks to the economy or crash talk is not a majority vote winner in my view.

  11. Nick 11
    29 September 2016 at 8:18 am

    Go Phil…. I know him, he’s excellent guy and I hope he helps kick natz ass all the way to the shitty little hole they crawled out of

  12. Heather Grimwood 12
    29 September 2016 at 9:50 am

    Anyone doubting his ability to concisely and forcefully put forth his position (on housing in this instance) should get video of his recent speech in the housing debate in parliament the day Govt members absented themselves……superior presentation. I haven’t the skills to find it again but I’m sure most Standardistas will be able to do so.

  13. Observer Tokoroa 13
    29 September 2016 at 10:14 am

    .
    .National Party Deceit

    . As we know from the attempted mauling of Phil Twyford by national party trolls and associated rabble, there are no Chinese or Foreign investors who have purchased real estate in New Zealand.

    There are no Chinese attending Auctions of Property, of land or housing whether in person or by proxy.

    We know from Barfoot and Thompson that they have never had any Chinese or Foreign clients in the past or recently.

    The problem is that John Key and Billy English cannot recognise the difference between a foreigner and gooseberry.

    No English people purchase houses here. Not a single one.

    The only consistent thing is that Key and English are so untrustworthy. Not a single New Zealander can believe a single word that comes out of their deceiving mouths.

    .

  14. The Pink Postman 14
    29 September 2016 at 2:58 pm

    Phil Twyford is an excellent Labour MP. Hard working and obliging vocally street’s ahead of any Nat and certainly a match for the awful puffed up Bennett. He will be an excellent housing minister in the next Labour Government .

    • john 14.1
      29 September 2016 at 3:29 pm

      The man has all the intellect and understanding of a floor board, to use metaphor related to housing.
      He has NO idea what he is talking about, he and Labour make grandious promises they can’t keep.

  15. Observer Tokoroa 15
    29 September 2016 at 9:11 pm

    .
    . John ? as in deceitful John Key.

    . You good boy. We have seldom seen such brilliance as yours on here. Will you get a lil bag of lollies from Paula and Billy?
    .
    . Also have you done anything for the 40 thousand homeless that you, Billy and Paula have released on an unsuspecting Aotearoa? I expect you haven’t. We know people like you are incapable.

    . Now hop away – and get your pretty pony tail pulled – with full fetish feeling.

    .

  16. TheBlackKitten 16
    2 October 2016 at 11:33 am

    I don’t mean to be rude here but housing is such a massive stuff up on the Nationals parties behalf that anyone in any opposition party should be capable of making mince meat out of the government for it. That the Labour Party still lags behind National in the polls speaks volumes of how out of touch with middle NZ they are.
    Auckland housing crisis is created by several issues:
    A) Shortage of land created by the Auckland councils piss poor planning over the past 40 years that has seen the city completely unprepared for the massive immigration numbers it has had since the Auzzie economy tanked. Shortage will always drive up price. The current lack of infrastructure, public transport and adequate roading is also a huge massive failure on councils part. Aucklanders are unable to travel too and from their jobs efficiently in many, many of the suburbs in Auckland. Council have been a huge failure.
    B) massive immigration numbers from overseas countries has seen migrants pouring into this country with cash that enables them to outbid the average Kiwi in a climate of high prices driven by the shortage at auctions. Many run of the mill suburbs in Auckland now attract a price tag of 1 million plus for an average 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home. Who is paying this price? It’s rich migrants because average Kiwis can’t afford it on their low wages in our pathetic low wage economy that was created by the ECA act in 1991. They all flock to Auckland as no where else in NZ has any jobs. Lack of jobs in the regions is another issue. National have cocked up here. They should have stopped massive migration years ago. Keep in mind, that the Clarke government also allowed Asian migrants to flock in here and push our housing inflation up. The big difference between now and then was that many kiwis were also leaving for a buoyant Auzzie economy so th effects were not as punitive.
    C) investors of the baby boomer generation and rich migrants that see housing as guaranteed money for their dollar are outbidding the average Kiwis at auctions. Again, shortage and lack of other good sound investment opportunities have attracted them to the Auckland housing market. National should have addressed this years and years ago and the bright line test is really a very poor weak fix to deter investors.
    Housing in Auckland has become like a Monopoly game that is seeing the average young Kiwi miss out and rich migrants along with prior home owners be the winners. It is a huge stain on this government to have been the ones that have allowed this to go on unchecked and to have created a society of the haves and the have nots.
    The solutions need a bold party with guts. They need to stop all migration, open up land for building, introduce a government rent to buy scheme, tax the shit out of investors and increase wages to the same level,of home prices. Sadly I don’t see any party with the initiative or guts to do all of these things.