Sunday 6th November, 2011

Q+A interview – The Battle for New Plymouth.

The interview has been transcribed below. The full length video interviews and panel discussions from this morning’s Q+A can be watched on tvnz.co.nz at, http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news

Q+A, 9-10am Sundays on TV ONE. Repeats at 9.10pm Sundays, 9:05am and 1:05pm Mondays on TVNZ 7

Q+A is on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/NZQandA#!/NZQandA and on Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/NZQandA

THE BATTLE FOR NEW PLYMOUTH

PAUL In 2008, Labour’s Harry Duynhoven lost New Plymouth to former church minister Jonathan Young. It could hardly have been closer. It was 105 votes was Mr Young’s majority, but it was a sign of Labour’s failings in the provinces. The party’s only seat outside the four main centres is Palmerston North. So can Labour regain a foothold? Former party president and union boss Andrew Little has returned to his old hometown to have a crack. Here’s Hadyn Jones in New Zealand’s most marginal electorate.

HAYDN Wednesday night in the New Plymouth beach suburb of Fitzroy, and they’ve come in their ones and twos to watch a political contest. What are you expecting tonight?

MAN A lot of rhetoric.

HAYDN Yeah? Anything else?

MAN (laughs) Not much, no.

HAYDN Incumbent is National’s Jonathan Young. He has 1000 Facebook friends and is the MP with the smallest majority in New Zealand. His opponent is Andrew Little. He is the former Labour Party president. He’s ranked 15th on Labour’s list and has 1200 Facebook followers. Tonight 35 residents have said no to MasterChef and their sofa and yes to politics They’re mostly over 50, mostly white, and ironically, nearly all of them have already made up their minds.

ANDREW LITTLE
Could those people who actually haven’t decided on who they’re going to vote for please hold their hand up? I don’t whether I’m preaching to the converted or the unconvertible. But anyway…

HADYN But this is not a wasted evening Gordon Brown is a senior journalist at the Taranaki Daily News. He also writes a column on local politics. 55,000 people will read his report in tomorrow’s paper.

GORDON BROWN
They’re very big on local issues, and they’re very big on being seen to be representative. I think probably they felt a bit uneasy they didn’t get enough noise out of Jonathan in the last three years. He was a bit invisible.

HADYN The wildcard in this election is lurking at the back of the hall. Rusty Kane is an independent candidate. He only gets five minutes to talk. He got 700 votes last time. That’s seven times National’s majority. Many think he cost Labour the seat.

RUSTY KANE
So it doesn’t matter what they say, because their first priority is to their parties first, not you. An independent seat – you are the party.

HAYDN I’ve got to tell you the big election issue here in New Plymouth in 2011 is actually this little bridge right behind me. You see, every election MPs are elected from here, they’re sent to Wellington with the job of getting New Plymouth a bigger bridge, but so far every MP has failed. And if there’s one thing you move to the provinces for, it’s for free and clear traffic. Bridges and roads are important, but heritage in Taranaki is also an underlying issue.

JONATHAN I grew up in Taranaki. I was born in Hawera.

ANDREW I was born and bred in New Plymouth. I grew up here.

HAYDN You see, Andrew Little doesn’t live here. His opponents consider it’s his weakness.

RUSTY That’s his biggest problem The problem is he hasn’t connected. He came in too late, and he never connected with the community.

HAYDN Andrew Little is committed, though, to this campaign. It is he not the Labour Party that is funding his weekly commute from Wellington, and he lives with his mother while in New Plymouth.

ANDREW The personal cost really is the time away from my family. I’ve been up here five days a week since the beginning of July. I’m up here seven days a week now. That’s a long time away from family.

HAYDN Marfell is one of New Plymouth’s poorest suburbs. It’s where Andrew Little grew up. It’s also where the candidates are gathering today to meet the locals. Both keep the politicking to a minimum. Like last night, there are few votes to be had here. And if you want answers, head for the kitchen. Margaret Marsh will give you direct feedback on most issues.

MARGARET MARSH
Because the leaders just bounce around and round and round and round the questions, don’t answer. To me, I want a straight answer.

HAYDN Especially when it comes to Andrew Little’s chances.

MARGARET He’s not Harry. (laughs) Nobody can be Harry.

HAYDN Harry Duynhoven is the man who lost to Jonathan Young by 105 votes. He wasn’t out of an office for long, though. He’s now New Plymouth’s mayor.

HARRY DUYNHOVEN
It’s going to be a very close year. I think it’s pretty hard to tell, to be really honest

HAYDN The local scribe is also resting on the fence.

GORDON Many are picking Andrew Little as the next Labour prime minister, and I must say from what I’ve seen tonight, they may possibly be right.

HADYN Do you think he might be the next Labour MP for New Plymouth, though?

GORDON That I wouldn’t like to predict.

HAYDN Winning in New Plymouth may be about finding the undecided voter. They’re not easy to spot in this conservative seat. You change your mind at all tonight?

MAN Don’t think so.

MAN No, this is the classic old contest about, you know, best man for the job, really.

JONATHAN And it’s a classic contest because here we are, two Taranaki families, red and blue, actually both old boys – New Plymouth Boys High School. So, you know, it’s a contest, I think, which has got everybody interested around town.