Chris Hipkins Rules Out Coalition With New Zealand First

Labour leader Chris Hipkins officially ruled out a governing deal with New Zealand First in any government he leads. Hipkins stated that the Labour caucus unanimously supports the decision, citing a pattern of overt racism and behavior that is bad for social cohesion. He specifically referenced a scandal where New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to go back to your own country.

Winston Peters, who had previously ruled out working with Labour, dismissed the announcement on social media. Peters claimed Hipkins has severe learning difficulties and questioned why the media reported a rule-out that he believes was established years ago.

The announcement follows a Taxpayers Union-Curia poll showing Labour support slumping 3.7 points to 27.8 percent. While the poll suggests the current coalition of National, New Zealand First, and ACT could maintain a majority with 61 seats, Hipkins dismissed the results as a rogue outlier compared to other available data. The general election is scheduled for November 7.