Road builder takes on Minister for Hutt South supremacy

Saturday, 23 September 2023

In this election series, The Post puts a spotlight on the most interesting electorate battles around the Wellington region. Nicholas Boyack spent time with the two leading candidates.

The wannabe road builder versus the surprise Minister of Justice and Police. In brief, that’s story of Hutt South, which promises to be a fascinating electorate to watch in October.

National’s Chris Bishop claimed the seat held for years by Labour stalwart Trevor Mallard, then promptly lost it. When Ginny Andersen won in 2020, she was a relative unknown – but has since picked up significant ministerial jobs.

Bishop too is at peak profile, gaining plenty of airtime criticising government policy and leading his party’s election strategy.

Hutt South comprises a big chunk of Lower Hutt, including the eastern communities of Wainuiomata and Eastbourne, most of the Western Hills and suburbs like Petone, central Lower Hutt and Waiwhetu. About one in seven locals catch a train to work, reflecting the high number of civil servants. Andersen took the seat comfortably in 2020, with a 3777 majority. Labour won 55.1 per cent of the party vote.

For decades it was a stronghold for Mallard, who proved impossible to beat from his base in Wainuiomata.

In 2023, the contrast between Andersen and Bishop is marked.

Andersen comes from a family with a strong Labour background and recently found herself thrust into the spotlight when she surprisingly became the Minister of both Justice and Police.

Although she has only held the roles briefly, there have been no major stuff-ups and she has earned herself a spot at 17 on the list.

Bishop, a born and bred Hutt boy, is well-known in the electorate, frequently calling public meetings on whatever the current political crisis is.

Much of his strategy to win Hutt South, and indeed to the election, is around building roads. A supporter of a second Mt Victoria tunnel in Wellington, he is also promising to build the Petone Grenada and Cross Valley Link roads. A second access road to Wainuiomata and a bridge from Stokes Valley will also be investigated, as will extending the Melling train line.

With the Petone Grenada project, alone, estimated to cost $1b in 2019, the combined bill is likely to be eye watering and voters are entitled to ask where the money is coming from?

Andersen and Bishop recently traded punches over housing after Bishop criticised the amount being spent on emergency housing in the Hutt Valley. A story in The Post noting that a a bed and breakfast in Upper Hutt was getting $433 a night fired the pair up.

Bishop said taxpayers were being “fleeced” as only some providers would take emergency accommodation guests, meaning those that did could charge “whatever they like”.

It was National who introduced emergency housing in 2017 and Bishop said it should never have become permanent.

Andersen responded by accusing Bishop of “hypocrisy”. Not only had he opposed transitional housing in Wainuiomata, but he had been part of a government that got rid of 365 public houses in the electorate, she said.

“If the previous government had built public housing at the same rate we are, there would be over 21,000 new state houses, accounting for 85% of those on the current waiting list.”

Bishop later promised to tackle emergency housing by building more houses and making families who have been in motels for more than 12 months the priority.

Observing Bishop for two hours at the Riverbank Market on a Saturday morning, it is clear he is a popular MP.

A steady stream of likely National voters stop to shake his hand or take a selfie. One of those who wants a selfie is Anand Mathew, who Bishop can rely on for a vote.

“I follow his political views, it is going to be good for the Hutt to have his vision.”

Asked for specifics, Mathew replies that he credits Bishop for getting funding for the Melling Interchange and Bishop had promised to build the Petone Grenada link.

It soon becomes clear there is a noteworthy trend in Bishop’s supporters. A significant number are Indian and one of the National volunteers, Michael Heagen, says it is the same most weeks.

A hint as to why he is so popular comes when a young chap notes he had played Bishop in cricket.

Bishop suggests that the Asian community in general (he is also approached by Chinese and Filipinos) relate well to his strong support for immigration. His interest in cricket gets him brownie points and he notes that he always enjoys attending Indian cultural ceremonies.

Tony Lyte, a Petone printer originally from London, outlines a series of concerns around health and law and order.

“There does not seem to be any consequences to all the violence.” Having to wait four or five days for a GP is not good enough, he says.

Andersen is also busy, handing out pamphlets and approaching market goers. She has more volunteers and gets a wide range of issues raised with her, everything from hate speech, to support for free dental care to a bloke who tells her the local library should be turned into a Casino.

Zac Dorward, 19, is a first-time voter in no doubt who he will vote for.

Labour, he says, has done a good job in Government and he supports free dental care for under 30s. Soraiya Daud is also voting Labour but tells Andersen that she is worried about housing.

“The Hutt is an awesome place to live and I have lots of friends here but there are not enough houses.”

No-one who stops to chat seems interested in roads.

Hutt South is a diverse electorate with lower socio economic areas. There are also significant numbers of civil servants, who may be reluctant to vote for a party that is promising to reduce government bureaucracy.

Whether or not projects like the Petone Grenada link is the road to a win for a Bishop, will only become clear on election day.

Hutt South candidates: Ginny Andersen (Labour), Chris Bishop (National), Jordan Blake (New Zealand Loyal), Lee Donoghue (New Zealand First), Neelu Jennings (Green Party), Andy Parkins (ACT), Max Rangituia (Vision New Zealand), Ben Wylie Van Eerd (Opportunities Party).

– Correction: Labour candidate Ginny Andersen was incorrectly referred to as a National candidate in an earlier version of this story. (Amended: September 26, 2023 at 3.30pm)