Focus shift seems like a wise move

People’s expectations of new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins seem unrealistic to say the least. As soon as he landed the job, commentators and Labour supporters lined up with their hopes, dreams and predictions.

Would he change course from so-called ‘‘wokeness’’ to workingclass values? Would he immediately overhaul tax policy? Would he jettison a raft of unpopular policies? Could he save his party from electoral defeat in less than nine months?

Little of this pressure was evident when John Key stepped down as prime minister in 2016, to be replaced by Bill English, even though a general election was just as imminent.

On one hand, this is an obvious lesson that even before the Covid and high-inflation era, politics was unpredictable. On the other, the pressure on Hipkins is probably typical of the tense and volatile political environment.

Politics is more scrutinised and public than ever before. People are angry and impatient, and more fearful of the future.

There might also be a way in which an intense focus on Hipkins and his possible new directions helps to mask the shock of Jacinda Ardern’s resignation. A psychologist would say we have barely had time to process the shock.

Those who claim there is nothing special about the abuse Ardern received are minimising the culture of misogyny that affects many women in public life. The global aftermath of her resignation showed how she became a symbol for people who otherwise know nothing about New Zealand politics. These projections were fostered by both the left and right, and her achievements or failures were highlighted to suit their agendas. The truth, of course, is more nuanced.

Yet, as noted, we seem to have agreed to look forward and not back. Before Ardern’s resignation, her Government was routinely described as looking tired and stressed. Now there is talk of a new spring in its step.

The Government’s refocus has been obvious, whether it is the repeated branding of Hipkins as the boy from the Hutt or the laser focus on ‘‘bread and butter’’ issues. This refocus is wise, and would have been harder for Ardern or even Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

Bread and butter is not merely a metaphor. Food prices in December were 11.3% higher than a year earlier, the biggest jump since April 1990. Politics or no politics, there is no disguising the pain at the supermarket checkout.

It seemed apt that new inflation numbers appeared in Hipkins’ first week. It also seemed fitting that an ideological dispute erupted about the minimum wage, which briefly saw National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis implying that the worst-paid shouldn’t expect extra help during a cost-of-living crisis.

This was one of two stumbles suggesting that National’s path to victory is not as assured as some expect. The other was leader Christopher Luxon’s clumsy politics of division over cogovernance and even the Ma¯ori electorates.