‘Let Labour finish the job for New Zealand’: Jacinda Ardern’s late plea to true believers

The former prime minister’s late entry into New Zealand’s election campaign could be a master-stroke that will send votes to the flailing Labour party.

Jacinda Ardern has posted a video asking New Zealanders to vote for Labour. Picture: AFP

Jacinda Ardern has made a surprise late entry into New Zealand’s election campaign from Massachusetts, pleading with Kiwis to “think about the future,” and vote for the governing Labour Party.

The former prime minister, who is currently at Harvard University on a fellowship, had been invisible ahead of Saturday’s election, although she posted on Instagram last week that she had voted for Labour.

But in a potential vote-winner for Labour, which has been flailing in the polls, Dame Jacinda used a Facebook video on Wednesday morning to tell supporters to trust her successor, Chris ­Hipkins, and “vote for what you believe in”.

“That’s not just the here and now, it’s about what you believe in for New Zealand for tomorrow, the next five years, the next 10 years,” she said.

“Think about the future and the future you want for New Zealand and keep it simple.

“The Labour Party has had two terms in office, long enough to make progress but not long enough to finish the job. And our country needs us to finish the job.”

She said she knew the Prime Minister as a “dad, a friend, a ­minister, and as a person”.

“I can hand on heart tell you that what he says is true,” she said.

“He’s a good person and he does deserve your support.”

Observers believe Dame Jacinda’s arrival on the campaign scene is deliberately timed to indicate Labour is optimistic of a win, as two polls on Wednesday show the party rising out of the doldrums of the mid-20s to hit up to 30 per cent for the first time in weeks, narrowing the gap with the rival National party.

“There’s no question that Chris Hipkins asked her to do this,” said political analyst Chris Trotter.

“It’s vintage Jacinda – all smiles and twinkles – and is a ­reminder of her magic.”

He added: “Her appearance bears out the stories that Labour is enjoying a bit of a surge. She certainly wouldn’t have intervened if she thought it would harm ­Labour’s chances.”

Although Dame Jacinda’s personal popularity waned before her resignation in January, she remains hugely popular among many Labour voters.

“I still love Jacinda, I wanted her to be my mum,” said Rose Scully as she took her five-year-old daughter Ada to Plimmerton elementary school in Porirua, near Wellington. “She was a very moderate, very open and honest leader and she wasn’t afraid of telling the truth when things were not great. I don’t like her successor as much.”

Rose Sculley and her 5-year-old daughter Ada. Picture: Mark Coote.

Oliver Hartwich, executive ­director of the NZ Initiative think tank, described the Ardern video as a masterstroke that could drive support among Labour voters – who tend not to vote if they don’t think their party can win.

“Bringing in Ardern this late in the game mobilises Jacinda fans who maybe weren’t going to vote, without giving the other side too much time to dwell on the fact that this government is essentially still hers,” he said.

The former prime minister appeared to bear this view out, telling her supporters she had decided to re-enter the political debate to encourage them to go to the polls: “The choice not to vote is a deliberate choice to hand someone else more power with their vote because of the absence of yours.”

While Mr Hipkins is personally popular – even among supporters of the rival National party – his party has languished in the mid 20s in recent polling after failing to deliver on issues such as housing and soaring crime rates. Election promises, including removing GST from fresh fruits and vege­tables, have been met with a collective shrug by Kiwis who have stopped believing in Labour.

Jacinda Ardern with her successor Chris Hipkins. Picture: Mark Mitchell / NZ Herald

But National under Christopher Luxon has failed to rise substantially, plodding around the mid-30s when it should be expected to reach the 40s. Its potential coalition partner ACT, under David Seymour, has also plummeted, reaching just 7.5 per cent in a Guardian poll on Wednesday – raising the prospect of New Zealand First under Winston Peters becoming kingmaker on Saturday.

A poll by 1News/Verian on Wednesday also put Mr Peters in the kingmaker position, with both left and right blocs needing his seats to reach a majority of 61 in the 120 seat parliament.

As the distance narrows between the main parties, National campaign director Chris Bishop and Mr Luxon – who hasn’t denied his reluctance to work with Mr ­Peters – have used the threat of a hung parliament and a second election to try to drive voters to National.

That seems to have backfired, sending votes to NZ First. Mr ­Peters has ruled out working with Labour, and Mr Hipkins has said he would “never again” work with the 78-year-old but it’s not beyond possibility that Mr Peters, known for his crafty politicking, could find a reason to switch sides.

New Zealanders could wake up on Sunday with no government and the most maverick MP once more in the driving seat.