In a couple of weeks, we will be 6 months out from the general election.

I know, the election has seemed an age away and then suddenly we‘re whipping through the year and October 14th is fast approaching.

The last couple of weeks in politics have been interesting.

The National Party released the basics of an education policy and their renewable energy policy. Neither set the heart racing. Their education policy is just about getting back to basics and the energy policy is nothing less than you’d expect from a climate aware party in 2023.

But I’m not complaining; I say, bring on the policy announcements.

Normally opposition parties aren’t keen to release policy details until the year’s budget has been announced. Grant Robertson will announce the budget on May 18th. Parties also tend to keep policy close to their chest until they’re officially campaigning so that their policies aren’t copied or have too much time for scrutiny.

But since all parties have selected the same theme for this year’s election – the economy and the cost of living – and a change of leadership and policy bonfire has given Labour a new lease on life, there is no time for National to sit and wait for the right moment to spring into action. So now is the time to get out and start selling policy, and personality, even if finer details aren’t available just yet.

Labour also got in on the announcements this week, celebrating the passing of the third reading of the Criminal Proceeds Amendment Bill, giving police long awaited extended powers to deal with gangs, and the Prime Minister and Transport Minister Michael Wood announced Auckland was going to get a second harbour crossing and that work would start in 2029.

You could see Aucklanders trying to conjure up some excitement over this news, but unfortunately for Labour it’s more a case of I-will-believe-it-when-I see-it. And then yesterday, April 1st, was ‘Cost of Living Day’ as we saw an increase in benefits, super and the minimum wage kick in.

So there’s plenty happening, and I imagine most of us would have preferred to spend the week talking about these announcements.

And yet, all the oxygen was sucked out of the room by two politicians. One appears to have been a law unto himself while acting as a Minister and is now under investigation, and the hints suggest there may be more to come, and the other a party co-leader who made a flippant, ill-worded and offensive comment, for which she has clarified but refused to offer a simple apology.

This has been Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ worst week since taking on the leadership. While these sagas haven’t sullied him specifically, the public will judge how he’s managed these difficult situations and what it says about his credibility as a leader. There’s also the lingering question about the influence of donors on Stuart Nash and other ministers. Hence the review into the former Cabinet Minister’s communication with donors needs to be thorough and conclusive for this saga not to damage the Government’s reputation.

Christopher Luxon would no-doubt have also like to have had more airtime this week discussing his policy announcements, but will be grateful the Prime Minister's positive momentum has come to an end and the Government was in the news for all the wrong reasons.

These last few weeks have reminded politicians that it’s not just policy that New Zealanders care about. We expect our politicians to do their best for all New Zealanders, to follow the rules, to be credible and articulate. Most importantly, they’ve been reminded that over the next 6 months, no one puts a foot out of line…

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