New Zealands election campaign is now underway, and it is set to be inward-looking and bruising, but there are points to watch for the Jewish community.
At the time of writing, Parliament was in its final two weeks of sitting before it disbands prior to the election on October 14. Valedictory speeches are flowing, alongside policy promises and fundraising appeals.
There have been launch events and manifestos.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of Labour has claimed his party is the underdog, but vowed it would fight back and campaign vigorously.
The reason? A sharp downward trend in recent polls, which culminated in a particularly brutal result for Labour in the latest 1NEWS Verian poll.
Hipkins took over as leader earlier this year, following the surprise resignation of then-PM Jacinda Ardern, and the partys fortunes in the polls improved initially.
Labour and the main opposition party, National, had both been jostling around similar mid-30s levels in polls for much of the year, but the latest 1NEWS Verian poll has Labour down 4% to 29% and National up to 37%.
A potential minor party partner for National, the libertarian ACT, was up 1% to 13%, while Labours potential coalition partner, the Green Party, was up 2 points to 12%. The Te Pati Maori (Maori Party), which currently holds one electorate seat, was at 3%.
Veteran populist and former Foreign Minister Winston Peters whose New Zealand First party was knocked out of Parliament in 2020 has also managed to bring his party back to within touching distance of the 5% electoral threshold.
If reflected on election day, these poll results would translate to 65 seats for the centre-right bloc of National and ACT. Sixty-one seats are needed to form government.
These results are Labours worst since 2017, and political pundits have turned pessimistic on Labours chances.
Labours decline in the polls comes after a series of ministerial mishaps, which have dominated headlines.
The 2020 election was dominated by domestic issues and fought against the backdrop of COVID. This year the battleground will again be local.
To quote James Carville (Bill Clintons 1992 presidential campaign strategist), Its the economy, stupid. The cost of living consistently rates as the biggest concern for the public.
Thats left all parties focused on related issues, such as tax and housing, with crime, health and education also in the mix.
So what does that mean for issues that might have special significance for the Jewish community?
New Zealand Jewish Council (NZJC) spokesperson Juliet Moses pointed to antisemitism/community safety and Israel-related issues as key focuses for New Zealands Jews.
I dont think these are figuring high on the agenda of any of the parties, given the numerous issues we have in the country at the moment.
If there is a change of government, I am not sure what its stance might be, but it will depend in part on its composition in terms of coalition partners, she said.
To date, foreign affairs discussions from the two main parties have been limited. But the Greens say they want the government to formally recognise Palestine as a state in their manifesto.
David Zwartz, the former Honorary Consul of Israel in New Zealand and a long-term community leader, said the countrys foreign policy is closely linked to its overseas trade needs.
There are growing business relationships with Israel that are not publicised, partly because the media prefers to report on conflict that can be used to vilify Israel, rather than on successful constructive achievements.
He said he does not think there is any Jewish political consensus on domestic affairs, but there is a strong desire for parties to keep away from foreign affairs policies that help create a negative, anti-Israel climate that impacts on Jews in a way that doesnt happen for any other minority anti-Israelism turning into antisemitism.
One domestic policy being put forward that would have an impact on the Jewish community is ACTs plan to abolish the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, along with a range of other demographic ministries. National has refused to rule out this policy.
Moses said the NZJC would be disappointed if the Ministry for Ethnic Communities was to go. They do important work perhaps it is not visible to all and have provided us with good support.
Zwartz agreed, and said the Jewish community had benefitted from the strengthened security and support for minority communities provided by the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs, and other government departments, since the Christchurch mosques massacre in 2019.
Right-wing electioneering against this is, unfortunately, a reflection of underlying racism, chiefly dog-whistled against Maori.
But more than a quarter of New Zealands present population was born overseas, and increased immigration will continue this trend.
As in Australia, rising local antisemitism has been egged on by overseas social media influences, and this was on display at the raucous 2022 Wellington anti-vaccine mandate occupation outside the Parliament, he noted.
Continue reading here:
- Letters: Poverty measure, Mori science and the Korean war - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Opposition parties National and Act NZ close the gap on Labour-Greens as support for Act NZ hits a record high - Roy Morgan Research [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- NZ still has important role in the global challenge of violent extremism - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Jersey TikTok teen gets letters from world leaders on how to be an adult - ITV News [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Covid-19 vaccine: 1.5 million doses due to arrive in August - RNZ [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Mark the Week: We are here because Scott Morrison is smarter than Jacinda Ardern - Newstalk ZB [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern and Andrew Little need to wake up and talk to nurses before they make decisions on healthcare - Newshub [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern: Not changing is not an option - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- New Zealand accepts return of Islamic State-linked citizen - Reuters [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2021]
- Covid-19: Border plans set to be revealed next week - RNZ [Last Updated On: August 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 2nd, 2021]
- A primal response caught up in the idea of hate - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- Still thousands of border workers unvaccinated and overdue for Covid test - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- More than 85 unvaccinated port workers boarded ship with 11 positive Covid-19 cases, Government urgently investigating - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- An effective apology for the dawn raids must end with action - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- General arming of police 'not the answer', Andrew Coster, Jacinda Ardern, Poto Williams agree - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt praises Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand after moving here during the pandemic - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern accused of treating politics 'as a game' after post emerges of her calling for housing as human right - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- Live: Jacinda Ardern speaks in post-Cabinet briefing - RNZ [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2021]
- 'Toxic and nasty' turn in Tasman under weight of Government reform - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 14th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 14th, 2021]
- Audrey Young: Close to Jacinda Ardern's worst day this term - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 14th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 14th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern derisive of Greens, National spat over Churchill painting - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 14th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 14th, 2021]
- Covid-19: Decision to jab 12- to 15-year-olds coming in 'not so distant future', Ardern says - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- 'If I be caught, I would be over': Defence Force affiliated Afghanistan national pleads for NZ Government evacuation in face of Taliban - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- Matthew Hooton: Jacinda Ardern shows courage in Covid fight, but will she hold her nerve? - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- New Zealand expected to raise rates to cool overheating economy - Sydney Morning Herald [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern weighs in on viral 'bridezilla' Reddit thread on The AM Show - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- New Zealand Outlines COVID-19 Plan to Reconnect with World - VOA Asia [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- New Zealand's Ardern implores Taliban to uphold human rights - Reuters [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2021]
- Expert: 2021 may prove a 'golden year' with more outbreaks, lockdowns expected next year - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Afghan refugees in our thinking: Ardern - The Northern Daily Leader [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Lockdowns or Vaccines? 3 Pacific Nations Try Diverging Paths - VOA Asia [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Fall of Afghanistan: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says NZ unlikely to rescue 'everyone we want to' - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- COVID-19: Jacinda Ardern defends pace locations of interest are released to public after Wellington Mayor criticism - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Covid 19: Why was Jacinda Ardern able to suspend Parliament and what happens next? - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Why were happy hobbits in Jacindas mysterious socialist hermit kingdom - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Will Jacinda Ardern Suffer Churchills Fate Once The (Covid) War Is Over? - Forbes [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Opinion: Jacinda Ardern - The Messiah, or just a crafty politician? - Newshub [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- Samoas former PM accuses Jacinda Ardern of plot to replace him with a woman - The Guardian [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2021]
- If the Government is making the right decisions on Covid-19, it will withstand scrutiny - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- New Zealand wages high-stakes effort to halt virus outbreak - CTV News [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Essential business confusion 'on the Government' - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Covid-19 NZ: Explaining what is going on with the daily case numbers - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Cases bounce back up in New Zealand - PerthNow [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer vaccine - WION [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- LIVE: Covid-19 alert level update with Jacinda Ardern, Ashley Bloomfield - The Global Herald - The Global Herald [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Covid-19 NZ: Parliament to sit this week after National and ACT reject virtual option - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Covid-19 NZ: Who is who in the Government's Covid-19 response team - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern says NZ 'not going to run out' of Covid-19 vaccines - The Global Herald - The Global Herald [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Anzus at 70: Still a model for peace and prosperity in our region - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Auckland remains in level 4 for 2 weeks, Northland likely to move to level 3 from midnight Thursday - RNZ [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Has Jacinda Ardern's New Zealand got its Covid-19 response all wrong? - The National [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Covid-19: Jacinda Ardern and the last lockdown - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- Covid-19: Here's why Jacinda Ardern's British critics are wrong - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2021]
- We had years to prevent a terrorist attack - we deserve to know what went wrong - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- 'Splitting a half strength': Bizarre way Jacinda Ardern and team celebrated level 3 - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern weighing up end to New Zealands nationwide COVID-19 lockdown after new cases announced on Monday - 7NEWS.com.au [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand tried for years to deport the ISIS supporter who injured 7 shoppers in a stabbing attack last week - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern calls New Zealand stabbing 'terrorist attack ... [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Auckland mall terrorist attack: PM Jacinda Ardern calls ... [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern vows to tighten counter ... [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- 'Not A Faith': Jacinda Ardern Blames 'Individual' For New ... [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- New Zealand terror attack: 'Violent extremist' carried out ... [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Judith Collins probes Jacinda Ardern on when 'use of lockdowns', 'gathering size limits' won't be required - Newshub [Last Updated On: September 10th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 10th, 2021]
- Covid-19: The 1pm update review - Spain rides to the Government's rescue - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 10th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 10th, 2021]
- Parliament hails the returning heroes - RNZ [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2021]
- Against all odds: how New Zealand is bending the Delta curve - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2021]
- New Zealand marks 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks - The Siasat Daily [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2021]
- Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand could be the big winner of Aukus fallout - RNZ [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- UN Food Systems Summit looks for recipe to tackle global food dysfunction - The Pig Site [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- Frustration for New Zealand returnees as COVID-19 quarantine waiting list hits 30,000 - WION [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- 'PM Jacinda Ardern had genuine information that NZ team may face attack in Pak': Report - Republic World [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- I believed in the 'Jacinda effect,' now Covid-19 has made me critical - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- Once Covid world-beaters, the mood in New Zealand is changing and Jacinda Ardern knows it - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2021]
- Comment: There can be only one reason Collins is still in her job - RNZ [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- Jacinda Ardern: Why I got vaccinated | nzherald.co.nz - The Global Herald - The Global Herald [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- New Zealand to halt removal of 'at risk' children from families - swissinfo.ch [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- MIQueue: What are the alternatives to two weeks in a hotel? - Stuff.co.nz [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- ScoMo and Jacinda share a steamy kiss on the latest episode of SPITTING IMAGE - TV Blackbox [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- Invercargill invoked to question Govt's plan - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]
- Mike Munro: In Jacinda Ardern Kiwis trust as National left trailing - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2021]