By Bernard Hickey
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters has won the Northland by-election in a significant blow to the National Government.
Peters had 15,359 votes to National's Mark Osborne on 11,347, the Electoral Commission reported with 100% of the vote counted at 8.45 pm.
"We hope this result in Northland gives hope to hundreds of thousands of forgotten New Zealanders elsewhere that you can say: 'Enough is enough. We are not going to take any more of this neglect, that you can say: 'we are going to send you a message'," Peters said in his victory speech in a pub in Russell.
The by-election loss by National of a seat it won with a majority of 9,300 in 2014 is Prime Minister John Key's first election set-back in almost a decade since he was elected National leader in November 2006.
The loss came after a promise to spend up to NZ$69 million to build 10 new bridges in Northland, which was criticised as a bribe, and after Key personally campaigned with Osborne to help him get elected.
Labour candidate Willow Jean Prime received just 1,315 votes after Leader Andrew Little suggested Labour voters 'send the Government' a message, which was seen as a nod and a wink to vote for Winston Peters.
It will also force National to rely on United Future Leader Peter Dunne, the Maori Party's two MPs or New Zealand First to pass contentious legislation, including Resource Management Act reforms.
National with 59 MPs still has the support on supply and confidence bills of Dunne, the Maori Party and ACT's David Seymour, but will have to find the support of two extra MPs to pass other bills, or oppose members bills, given New Zealand First will have 12 MPs, Labour has 32 and Green has 14.
Osborne rang to congratulate Peters. "It's been a tough night," he told media in KeriKeri.
National's campaign manager Steven Joyce would not agree it was a humiliation for the Government, describing the by-election result as a "unique set of circumstances."
John Key was not in Northland as he was travelling to attend the World Cup final. He has cancelled his regular weekly post-cabinet Monday news conference because of his attendance at the cricket.
'Tide turning on National'
Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei congratulated Peters and said she agreed with him that it would send a message to the Government.
“The tide has turned on National,” said Turei.
“This is a deeply embarrassing loss for National in a traditionally safe seat. The loss of Northland shows how out of touch the National Government has become with ordinary New Zealanders," she said.
“That John Key thought his bridge and broadband bribes would work in Northland just shows how out of touch he is with ordinary Kiwis. Hungry kids can’t eat bridges."
Peter Dunne did not congratulate Peters.
“It has a touch of old times about it – returning New Zealand to the governing arrangement with virtually the same number of seats held by National, UnitedFuture, the Māori Party and Act (63),that we had between 2011 and 2014," Dunne said.
“And then as now, New Zealand First is still irrelevant," he said.
The Green and United Future parties did not stand candidates in the by-election.
(Updated with picture, final results, reaction from Greens and Peter Dunne)
36 Comments
It seems that the worm has turned. Perhaps northland voters were put off by some of the following:
- National got rid of postgrad student allowance
- National increased GST (for the poor)
- National decreased income tax (for the rich)
- National taxed low income paperboys
- National stopped (poor) people getting cigarettes through duty free in order to raise 50 mil in tax revenue. Moreover National has increased the sales tax on cigarettes by 10% per year since 2010.
- The leader of the National party constantly and blatantly lies to the public.
- National seems to be intent on selling all farms and houses to the Chinese.
Absolutely. I stopped voting National at the last election. They're quite brazen about not representing the electorate now. It's about corportate interests only, TTP, SkyCity, foreign ownership and artificially inflated house prices. I think the Kiwi electorate will punish them for their arrogance next time round, although the other options aren't that flash..
Yep don’t forget the Tiwai Point / Rio Tinto corporate bail out. I really thought National were “gone by lunchtime” at the last election. There seemed to be so much working against them. The Dirty politics affair should have been more damaging to national as should have been the visit by Glen Greenwald / Edward Snowden / Julian Assange. Those guys are international juggernauts and they were directly speaking out against the PM. I feel quite despondent about the outcome of the last election.
National's campaign manager Steven Joyce would not agree it was a humiliation for the Government, describing the by-election result as a "unique set of circumstances."
Hmmm - from the tactician who flew prematurely to San Francisco to put his hand on the "Auld Mug" It's just one after another ambulance at the bottom of the cliff decision making outcomes for this fellow.
This event is about National not Peters. It's the beginning of the end for them. There has been neglect of citizens. Curiously it's the driver licence test story that says it best for me. How not to listen.
Not to mention house prices, profit going overseas, immigration stress and the supremecy of corporates over the middle class.
National need to hear but probably can't
I was born in Whangarei and left there 30 years ago, in any visit I make I cannot see any reaon why I would want to go back, successive governments including a number of years under Labour {Clark & Lange) have done absolutely zero to improve job opportunities, infrastructure, and the general standard of living, so what will Winston have control over, the result will probably be same shite different day.
The better message won on the day.
Winston is onto a guaranteed winner. No one in Northland seriously expects him to acheive anything as MP, so if he actually does do some good his followers will see him as if walking on water and if he doesn't - we got what we expected.
Saw first hand both teams in action, National made it pretty tough for Osborne to create a profile with the public being surrounded (insulated) by Wellington suits. Winston fronted up and made it easy.
Well done Winston - lets hope our cynicism proves unfounded - for Northland's sake..
It's really funny reading the comments trying to pick why Northland has voted Winnie in.
Don't get me wrong I am not a supporter and I would suspect that many voting for him had their stomachs in knots.
But what did they expect. A FNDC asset manager that is under investigastion himself for misappropriation of funds. Even the sugestion of another council suit in power sickens most people here.
Northland is a basket case this is why National lost the election full stop.
No Education ( schools full of Drugs, Gangs, bullying, and Useless Gutless Principals. You would not send your kids there not to mention NCEA)
No Health (you have to goto Auckland for anything more than a broken arm)
You have seen the roads
No Research in R&D esp rural (Northland farms only produce a third production average of the average nation wide. Sorry but rural northland needs real R&D not from fert companies)
Unrelaible Power grid. ( power in northland is one of the most expensive in the country with the worst grid when you get power it cost a arm and a leg)
No Investment. If you had a company would you invest in a region that has the above qualities I think Not.
Thats why National Lost so if there are other regions around NZ like this you could expect the same result.
Sorry to do this, but are you from Northland, or spent a significant amount of time there? I was born and raised in the far north, and to comment on a few of your very general comments. I will try to keep it balanced though.
1) No Education - there are actually some very good schools in Northland, both in Whangarei, and in the far north. Schools full of drugs - well unfortunately - drugs are readily available in most high schools up there. Gangs and bullying - in some schools yes, in a lot of schools up there - I would disagree. Bullying by itself - I think it happens in every school so shouldn't just be associated with Northland. Useless, gutless principals? Some. Not all.
2) No health - rubbish. Whangarei hospital is actually reasonably good, and can deal with a lot more than you give it credit for. Ironically, my father (before he passed a few months ago) spent most of his last 12 months in hospital split between Auckland and Whangarei. It was in Auckland where he picked up the superbug that laid his immune system so low that he ended up passing. It wasn't in Whangarei.
Don't get me wrong - Northland is far from great in a lot of areas, and worse in others. But you're painting a worse picture than is needed.
Missapropriation of funds has been rife in New Zealand for so many years, that people have taken it as the norm to steal 'other peoples munny'
Getting caught in the act is the problem.
Getting a real return on money has been a problem, since the NZ Finance Company Ponzi schemes and the world wide consequences of 2008 GFC.
All not condemed, but condonned by our illustrious Leaders.
Hardly anyone went to jail, but got a 'Get out of Jail Free Card'....and then went back to doing the same rip-offs, this time aided and abetted by the super powers that be to build and counterfeit their ill-gotten gains exponentially.
And the poor reporting of such is the true failure of the forth estate.
And the winners were...Real Estate as that is where they stashed a lot of the loot. In place like Awkland...not Northland....
Ask any poor person if they can save faster than people can counterfeit atdiminishing rates of interest..and also pay for the priviledged via GST,PAYE, Rates and inflated prices.
No bleedin chance..
Todays economy is based on deceit, not income and savings.
But as usual, there are winners and losers, so stop your whining...that's life in all the big cities.
And up North in particular. Councils spent like a robbers dog on expensive infrastructure....but no takers.
New comers luv Awkland, go figure.
Breaking news: Winstone Gander promises Northland's citoyen a Green-Gold Card....a boost to the local growth economy, a possible saving on Vote:Health if the promised benefits of the Devil Weed are realised, and a certain saving on Vote:Welfare as the puffers die off.
They get a smile, aggressive evasiveness bordering on the diagnosable upon questioning,promises to hold people accountable, put an end to scaremongering, denials of unspecified allegations , assertions that he has the evidence and he will see you in court etc etc
Hardly nothing???
steven - I was not expressing only my own opinion.
The 'our' I refer to was in fact the dozens of people whose opinions I had canvassed before election day.
Winston's pitch to the voters acknowledged that even with a win in Northland he would still be in oppostion and the National party would still govern with support.
The bulk of any benefit to Northland will be in what National do to recover their support base and ensure success at the next election.
Anything Winston can acheive over and above this will be a bonus.
For the people I talked to John Key was right in saying local issues dominated their voting. In Dargaville and the Kaipara area generally I am confident National was punished because of the anti Kaipara District Council sentiment regarding mismanagement and the consequent huge rates hikes over the past couple of years.
What suprised me was Winstone's level of support in the Bay of Islands and Keri Keri where I would have expected Osborne to dominate.
Hi Jay M
Cool to hear you are from the far north. let me more specific, Far north secondary schools
Obviously you have not used the schools here recently what you may have thought were good aren't so good now. I was associated at a new build school closer to Auckland, worlds apart you could not quantify the difference between the quality of education. Also that school was ranked as one of the lowest in it's region.
Sorry but Whangarei is not in Northland electrate
We have Kawakawa, Rawene, and Kaitia Hospitals
I am sorry to here about you father but as you metioned Whangarei is just a glorified convalescence home. It used to be a training hospital for goodness sake.
I also forgot to mention that Regional Govt here shirks all responsibility that Is why another faceless council suit here will not win for National.
Good response:
I haven't attended school up there since the 90s myself... But my nieces and nephews have... Excluding Whangarei; Kerikeri High School, Okaihau College, Otamatea High School are still all good schools by recent accounts. I'm not sure about Kaitaia College and Bay of Islands College these days, Northland College and Taipa have been substandard for a long time (which is ironic given we're talking about Winston here and his brother was Principal at Northland College for a long time).
If you're excluding Whangarei Hospital - I'd probably agree. Kaitaia and Rawene Hospitals haven't had much love in a LONG time. Kawakawa was still ok last time I was in there (3 yrs ago visiting dad) but they don't do much in the way of surgeries etc there anymore.
Don't get me started on the FNDC... I have family that worked there for a LONG time and some of the stories I could tell you...
Hi Jay M
As I thought, What you thought were good schools aren't so good now Northland college has actually improved but nowhere near what it use to be, it use to be the goto school of the country for a rural education good to see it still owns the farm. Okaihau is now what Northland was a few years ago.
When I went to school I went to Rodney,once it lost Raul Cornwall as a principal It has gone down hill. Neice and nefew went to Otamatea, it has a good communtiy around it that supports it well. But this is years ago. I do know that schools south of Wellsford have had a real facelift and alot of money spent on them. Wellsford north I would say nothing has been spent on these schools for years. The communities that surround the rest of Northlands schools, with exception of Kerikeri are spent and are not capable of supporting the things these schools need. Even Keri has not had the money spent on it the Auckland schools have. I am not over exaggerating the lack of education here, I did not want to have to pay for a private school in Northland.
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