Chris Hipkins has told Labour members at an Auckland conference he envisages the party getting back into power in two years and then spending a decade building a strong economy, boosting education and healthcare, overseeing a boom in new house construction and ushering in a vibrant multicultural society. 

Hipkins unveiled his vision for the year 2040 in Auckland today at the first of Labour’s regional conferences. 

He selected 2040 because it marks the year when Aotearoa New Zealand celebrates 200 years of the Treaty of Waitangi. 

Hipkins also identified tech and clean energy as key Labour goals. 

He said that while Kiwis voted for change last year, he didn’t believe they were getting what they voted for, saying the current coalition Government has no vision. 

By contrast, he foresees Labour helping the country become a leader in technology - allowing it to sell high-value products to the world while also adding value to primary exports, like milk, he said. 

Labour leader Chris Hipkins speaks to media after unveiling Labour's vision for 2040. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

While the coalition Government has overseen “mass layoffs”, Labour would get New Zealand working and ensure that even those on minimum wage are fairly paid due to it being adjusted every year, Hipkins said. 

He envisions childcare costs coming down, while Labour investments in affordable rental housing would stabilise rent prices, Hipkins said. 

“Mega landlords” would pay their fair share of tax, while “a sustained boom in house construction has seen increasing numbers of Kiwis able to realise their dream of owning their own home”, he said. 

The housing construction boom would create skilled tradies, while the trades would be seen as desirable and lucrative careers for kids leaving school. 

Education investment would focus on 21st-century skills along with technology and practical skills, such as home budgeting. 

“With higher incomes and lower housing costs everyone’s quality of life has been steadily improving,” he said about his 2040 vision. 

He said Labour’s future investment in mass rapid transit and more active walking and cycling options would make it cheaper for Kiwis to get around. 

Hipkins claimed Kiwis would be healthier because Labour would have focused on preventative healthcare, while more primary care will be delivered by pharmacists and accessible GPs, greatly reducing the number of those showing up to emergency rooms. 

New Zealand will have also cleaned up its polluted rivers and lakes by 2040 and be generating its electricity sustainably, Hipkins said.