RICHARD PREBBLE: Who won the election campaign opening?
As a former campaign manager, we used to measure the success of a campaign by the size of the crowds.
Both major parties use to hire the biggest hall, the Auckland Town Hall, which holds 1,529.
Campaign meetings were open to the public. We measured enthusiasm by the numbers who could not get in.
We just worried about the sound system.
In 1966, as a teenager, I recall picking up Norman Kirk from the airport and taking him to the Town Hall. He personally tested the sound system. I moved around the Town Hall to make sure I could hear him.
Norman had a booming voice. If the system failed, I would have still heard him.
The meeting that night was packed.
Being an unknown teenager, I went to Holyoake’s meeting to report on it. It was also packed.
What do this year’s campaign openings tell us?
Today’s meetings are ticket-only events for party members. The audience is cast as extras in a made-for-TV event.
Comparing with the last election tells us a lot.
In 2023 National held its opening in the Due Drop Events Centre in the 3,000-seat Sir Woolf Fisher Arena in South Auckland. A crazy location for National. About 1,200 turned up.
Labour in 2023 also misjudged the venue and its support. The party held its meeting in the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in the Aotea Centre. It holds 2,139, and just 1,000 attended.
Both parties disguised attendance, National with huge banners and Labour by blocking off the stalls and circle. It was a slight win to National.
This year Labour took no risks. It went to the Due Drop Events Centre and hired the small Four Winds Theatre, capacity just 690.
National moved closer to its base, to the new New Zealand International Convention Centre in central Auckland. It used half of Te Paepae Theatre, with 1,235 seats. National had around 1,000 supporters but hundreds of empty seats.
Empty seats are what the TV audience will remember.
As a TV spectacle, Labour with the smaller crowd won.
But these are supporters, not the public.
When National cannot turn out 1,235 supporters for the Prime Minister and Labour does not believe Chris Hipkins can attract more than 690, there is a lack of enthusiasm in both parties.
It is Labour that needs the excitement of a high-energy campaign to turn out its base.
A low-energy opening suits National.
So National’s campaign will be the happier.
But it’s a loss for democracy when neither party would even consider hiring the Auckland Town Hall.
Richard Prebble is a former Minister and ACT Party leader who writes at I've Been Thinking
The problem with apathy regarding civic duty/responsibility to participate in the likes of politics, is that if ordinary moderate folk do not get involved, then some woke activist certainly will.
There defintely seems to be a lack of enthusiasm and interest in politics these days.
In past times lots of people were were involved in the two main parties and would turn up to meet and listen to what the leaders and other candidates for election had to say. Working class people tended to support the Labour party. Those of "the establishment" preferred National. Participation was social as well as political and voters were more likley to interact with and know the candidates as members if their local communities they could have confidence in.
Democracy was working well. Society was orderly, egalitarian and cooperative. The economy was productive and prosperous. New Zealand was the best place in the world to raise children and most people cared…
Still no like button. ?
There are platforms available other than WIX
Under instructions are we?
This is critical timing, given the elections are imminent
The comments tell it all. Boredom, dying parties, no respect for inane leadership whose spoutings are mere vacuity. The same the world over. Old parties whose arrogance and sheer ignorance show no bounds (just look at the National-National vote nonsense). We end up with statesmen like Winston and Trump who are over 80 and Pauline who is over 70 and Nigel who is god knows what as our messiahs to take us to the promised land because the young ones are either too lazy or too full of their rush to communism and silly ideas. Bloody hell I am glad that I have had the best years of my life before communism when I could go into a shop and…
“…there is a lack of enthusiasm in both parties”
Neither appear to have kept their founding principles. Neither have articulated a clear vision for the country’s future. Neither have inspiring leaders.
When was the last time you heard someone say, “I’m really proud of Chris <. > as leader.”? That tells you a lot.