Both major parties launched their campaigns in Auckland on Sunday. National had “no new taxes” and a pledge card; Labour had a cost-of-living pitch and a new student loan policy, writes Henry Oliver in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.

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Like the arrival of the Christmas season, different people will have different ideas about when the election actually starts. For the hardcore, it will be the first early shots across the bow and the gradual increase in policy announcements. For others it will be the arrival of hoardings and MPs holding babies at market days. But no one can deny the election campaign has begun when both major parties officially “launch” their campaigns on the same day.

The two launches that happened in Auckland yesterday couldn’t have felt more different. National’s event at the New Zealand International Convention Centre drew a headcount of roughly 750, RNZ’s Russell Palmer reports, in a space capable of holding far more – leaving rows of empty seats visible behind the speakers. Labour’s at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau filled its 690-seat auditorium to capacity, with The Post’s Henry Cooke noting some people were turned away at the door.

National: A pledge card but no new taxes

There was little doubt about National’s main message. “No new taxes” was everywhere and in everything. The Herald’s Jamie Ensor and Adam Pearse reported that Luxon was even introduced as “Mr No New Taxes”.

He unveiled a 10-point pledge card: economic growth delivering new jobs and higher wages; “no new taxes”; compulsory KiwiSaver with higher contributions and a $1,500 Baby Boost; paid parental leave extended from 26 to 30 weeks; replacing NCEA with regular assessment and “teaching the basics brilliantly”; tougher consequences for criminals and more police on patrol; faster healthcare and more medicines; infrastructure including Roads of National Significance, new classrooms and upgraded hospitals; a better deal at the supermarket by driving competition; and the books in surplus.

RNZ said it followed a similar eight-promise card in 2023 (which included a net zero by 2050 commitment that does not appear on this election’s version), and Cooke noted that unlike John Key in 2011 – who launched a policy at his second-term launch – Luxon assembled already-announced material. (He also noted that Luxon mentioned Hipkins five times and the opposition repeatedly, while Key only mentioned his opponent, “Mr Goff”, and Labour once each.)

Nicola Willis used her speech to tease Tuesday’s pre-election economic and fiscal update (just say the word “prefu” this week if you want people to know you know), telling the room “you’ll like what you see” and promising “smaller deficits, bigger surpluses, less debt”. Pressed afterwards, she would only say anyone who believed in fiscal responsibility would be pleased with the numbers.

Labour: Student loans and ‘bullshit’

Hipkins opened and closed his speech with the same line: this election is about the cost of living. The Spinoff’s Joel MacManus, who was at both events, reports he went straight at Luxon’s recent “cry me a river” remark in parliament earlier this month, asking whether anyone could remember a more out-of-touch response to rising prices. “It made me so angry,” he said. “It still does.”

The new policy was a 10% write-off of student loan balances. 1News’s Justin Hu reports the detail: from April 1 next year, current and future graduates who are New Zealand-based for tax purposes, up to date with repayments and who did not benefit from Fees Free would have 10% wiped. Loans of $2,000 or less would be cleared entirely. Borrowers who go overseas can still qualify if they remain classified as NZ-based under existing rules for the full three years. Simeon Brown called Labour’s plan “yet another expensive handout,” while David Seymour labelled it a “bribe”.

Hipkins also accused National of lying about Labour’s tax intentions, calling it “bullshit”. “People aren’t asking the prime minister to feel sorry for them,” he said. “They’re asking him to do his bloody job.” Labour parked a truck outside with the “cry me a river” quote on its side. (Stay tuned to see whether Labour ponies up for the Justin Timberlake classic as the race enters its final weeks.)

Across the on-the-ground reports, the winner of yesterday’s battle of launch vibes seems to have been won by Labour, which put on a more energetic and enthusiastic event. MacManus writes that National’s supporters were “determined, but nowhere near as enthusiastic as they were three years ago,” and that the party was “carrying fractures that haven’t quite healed.”

We’ll see whether one afternoon of speeches and chants translates into votes. As Cooke puts it, making history by giving New Zealand the first one-term National government “will require Hipkins winning a lot more than just one day.”