How Labour wins back Auckland

When Auckland staggered out of lockdown, battered and bruised, we turned to Labour in the 2023 election looking for hope.

Auckland had borne the brunt of the las Covid lockdown.

We were locked down while the rest of the country rushed to lift their vaccination rates.

We in Auckland suffered while the rest of the lazy country got their arses into gear to get the bloody vaccination.

We suffered for the good of the nation.

And what was our reward for that Covid lock down pain from Labour?

What was the thank you for holding the line while the rest of the country stumbled around to get their vaccination rates up?

Sweet fuck all.

Labour came to us and offered us ‘GST off fresh fruit and vegetables’.

After  the suffering Auckland had been through, all Labour would give us is GST off fresh fruit and fucking vegetables.

It felt like a giant slap in the face, because it was a giant slap in the face.

In fury, Auckland turned on Labour and destroyed them.

It’s 2026, can Labour win back the Auckland vote?

It can, if Labour are prepared to be bold (stop laughing).

Unfortunately for us, Labour’s incremental Wellington Mandarins cry out that Labour must follow Keir Starmer and not Zamdani when it is Zamdani who is winning.

Zamdani’s focus is on cost of living issues and it is here that Labour needs to focus if they want to win back Auckland.

• Free Public Transport – the poorest Aucklanders spend 25% of their wage just getting to work, make public transport free!
• Free Early Child Education – Working mums and dads are forced to pay huge amounts for childcare while a few Christian providers rort the entire Early Education system.
• Urban Intensification – Currently being ripped to pieces by National, Auckland needs cheaper housing aimed at owner occupiers NOT speculators. If they aren’t going to build more houses allow the CBD to be home to just owner/occupier Apartment rent to own mechanisms that will bring young families into the urban area and provide a foothold on the property market.
• Homelessness – The very obvious rise in Homelessness has been generated directly by the Government’s draconian new rules on Emergency Housing and cutting food banks and cutting outreach programmes. These can all be reversed.
• Government backed 3rd Supermarket –  The Supermarket Duopoly continues to price gouge Kiwis, especially in Auckland. Major reform that allows for a 3rd player backed by Iwi similar to what 2Degrees has achieved in the telecommunications market is required to lower prices, pay staff properly and provide good returns for producers.
• Crime – If you alleviate the intense inequality and poverty, crime will take care of itself, but we also need far more Organised Crime Policing of major crime in Auckland.

Labour can win back Auckland by reducing the cost of living in Auckland, if they can’t produce genuine progressive legislation then that middle class vote will continue to move towards the Greens.