appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Agence France-Presse

New Zealand’s main opposition gambled on a leadership change just weeks before a general election Tuesday after polling showed it was heading for disaster at the ballot box.
The centre-left Labour Party selected 37-year-old Jacinda Ardern to take it into the September 23 election, making her the youngest leader in its 101-year history.
The move came after outgoing leader Andrew Little quit in response to a string of opinion polls that put Labour’s support at 20-year lows of 23-24 per cent, giving it no chance of forming a government.
Ardern, who was Little’s deputy, becomes Labour’s fifth leader in four years as she seeks to prevent the centre-right National Party-led coalition winning a fourth term.
“This team is about to run the campaign of our lives,” she said after winning the leadership unopposed.

Ardern was elected to parliament in 2008 after working as a political adviser and has long been seen as the face of a new generation coming through the Labour ranks.
With her new deputy Kelvin Davis standing alongside her, she promised “relentless positivity” and appealed to young, idealistic voters.
“We’ll be talking to a new generation of voters, but not just about their own personal circumstances,” she told reporters.
“As a country, we can do better than this,” she added.

Little, 52, admitted he had failed to get his message across during more than two years as leader.
“Recent poll results have been disappointing. As leader, I must take responsibility for these results,” he said.
“I do take responsibility and believe that Labour must have an opportunity to perform better under new leadership through to the election.”
Prime Minister Bill English said the change of leadership would not solve Labour’s problems.
“They’re in disarray, the basic problem isn’t really the leadership, it’s they just don’t have a positive view of what New Zealand can achieve,” he told reporters.
English took over as leader of the National Party after John Key’s shock resignation late last year.
While he does not have the personal popularity of his predecessor, the party’s vote share has held steady at around 47 per cent under English’s leadership.
However, he warned the Nationals could not be complacent because New Zealand’s complicated proportional voting system usually results in minority governments reliant on smaller parties as coalition partners.


Election gamble: New Zealand opposition changes leader two months before national vote

New leader of the Labour Party Jacinda Ardern. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Bill English Official photo supplied by the National Party 4th July 2017 Julie Ash Julie.Ash@parliament.govt.nz

Andrew Little, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, speaks during an interview in his office in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday, July 21, 2017. Little stepped down less than two months from a general election after opinion polls showed a slump in support. Photographer: Mark Coote/Bloomberg

New Zealand PM Bill English cooks tinned spaghetti pizza for his family of eight, and the nation is now divided

On Tuesday night, New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English cooked dinner for his family – a 1980s rural Kiwi classic: tinned spaghetti and pineapple pizza. Later, he posted a series of photos of his home-spun efforts on Facebook. Photo: Facebook

pizza

New Zealand PM Bill English faces questions over alleged secret recordings

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English is questioned by reporters about secret recordings made by MP Todd Barclay. Photo: AP

Prime Minister Bill English during his post-Cabinet press conference in the Beehive Theatrette, Parliament, Wellington. 15 May 2017 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Mark Mitchell.

News

Asia

Australasia

Supporters hope Jacinda Ardern will bring more charisma and a stronger youth connection than her predecessor


Election gamble: New Zealand opposition changes leader two months before national vote

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Supporters hope Jacinda Ardern will bring more charisma and a stronger youth connection than her predecessor

Supporters hope Jacinda Ardern will bring more charisma and a stronger youth connection than her predecessor