Papaki kau ana nga tai o Waitemata kia tapuwae haruru te tini me te mano
The waters of Waitemata call to the many people that have arrived here today
E kawea ana i nga puna korero me nga wawata o te motu
That carry the hopes and aspirations of our country
Tenei ka mihi, tenei ka whakatau
So i greet you all and welcome you
Nau mai! Haere mai!
Welcome!
Every time I stand on a stage like this and look out at our members, I feel immense pride.
To the untrained eye, it might look like a sea of red, with rows of banners, jackets, and badges blending into one.
If we had flags, one might mistake the Labour crowd for Mate Ma’a Tonga rugby league supporters!
But I see so much more.
I see our mothers and daughters. Our freezing workers.
Our public servants, our teachers, our nurses, our cleaners, our creatives, our small business owners, our academics, our environmentalists.
I see tangata whenua, our Pacific, our ethnic communities, our palagi brothers and sisters and rainbow whānau, each bringing your own story, your own struggle, your own hope.
You are why our movement has endured for more than a century.
Our movement is not just about our policies, or our history – it’s about our people.
People who care.
People who will stand up.
People who believe that New Zealand can be fairer, kinder, and more united than it is today.
And as we gather ahead of this year’s conference, that sense of kotahitanga – of unity – feels more important than ever.
Because when Labour pulls together, when we stand as one whānau, we are powerful.
and we are unstoppable.
Now as alluded to already, we don’t all look the same in the Labour Party.
We are a diverse bunch.
This is probably no starker than when looking at your leadership!
You have a sharkies wearing ginga leader from the Hutt and an amazonian/ Pasifika puletasi wearing deputy leader from West Auckland.
We look like we come from different worlds.
Have we always agreed over our 17 years of working together? – hell no.
But do we share the same values and care enough about the same things to make it work – abso-friggen-lutely.
This is the Labour Party folks.
That’s why we are the longest standing political party in this country.
You know – it’s really struck me recently that so many people are feeling worn down.
Recently I attended a pacific principals association meeting.
One of the principals said he feels like the light is going out.
He feels like they can’t win with this government and he’s getting tired of fighting.
I hear this all too often from people across different sectors and it scares me.
And why wouldn’t they feel this way.
For the past two years the National Act NZ First Government have put us through so much.
We now have:
- A Health System that is falling over right before our eyes
- The cancellation of thousands of state housing builds and infrastructure projects
- Increased unemployment
- Sky rocketing cost of living
- Attacks on our education system and teachers
- Attacks on workers wanting a fair deal
- Attacks on women with the scrapping of Pay equity
- Attacks on our rainbow community
- And where do we even start with the attacks on Maoridom and te tiriti
I said to that Pacific principal, and I say to you, we must keep fighting.
We need to support each other to keep the light burning, we have to retain hope and we have to believe that we can win.
This government is hell bent on dividing the country.
We have to remain unified to defeat them.
Key to defeating them will be the fact we have a leader in Chris Hipkins who embodies that unity.
Chris leads with humility, with honesty, and with a deep commitment to the values that brought every one of us into this movement.
He knows that Labour’s strength comes not from one person, but from all of us – our members, our organisers, our communities.
He listens.
He includes.
And he holds fast to the belief that politics should be about improving people’s lives, not dividing them.
Now, in Opposition, we spend a lot of time reacting, to the Government, to their policy announcements, to their rhetoric, and to their often-misguided plans for creating a better New Zealand.
Of course we are outraged by the dangerous agenda of this government.
But we have to channel that anger and frustration into a movement for change.
We have to highlight the positive vision that labour will offer New Zealand going into the election.
We must remind Aotearoa that Labour is the party that holds aspiration for all communities and is committed to creating opportunities for all New Zealanders.
Labour’s story has always been about hope, aspiration, and opportunity.
- Jobs have to be well-paid
- Health care needs to be there when you need it
- All new Zealanders deserve warm dry homes
All our kids can grow up proud – Māori, Pasifika, Pākehā, Asian, new migrant, refugee and LGBTQI+ – standing shoulder to shoulder in a country that values every one of them.
It takes courage to stand up against what is wrong.
But it takes courage to believe that change is possible when cynicism is easier.
It takes courage to keep turning up – to keep doing the mahi – even when the odds are stacked against you.
That’s who we are as Labour.
We are the movement that believes in possibility.
That when we lift people up, the whole nation rises.
That fairness and decency aren’t luxuries – they’re the foundation stones of who we are.
And as we step into this conference, I want us to hold tight to that sense of purpose and to each other.
To back Chris Hipkins.
To back our kaupapa.
To back the people who need us – because they are counting on us to bring hope back into their lives.
So today, I want us to remember that our job is not just to oppose – it is to aspire and inspire.
To lift our gaze from the daily headlines and look to the horizon.
To remind New Zealanders that a decent life here in Aotearoa is still possible.
That opportunity still matters.
When we speak, let’s speak of hope.
When we act, let’s act with heart.
When we lead, let’s lead with love.
Because that is the Labour way and that is how we win not just the next election, but the trust and the hearts of our people.
And so I leave you with this:
Let’s go into this conference united.
Let’s go in courageous.
Let’s go in hopeful.
And let’s come out ready – together – to build the New Zealand our people deserve.
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.