Ardern 'smashes' Key in Question Time

Labour leader Andrew Little says he's interviewing MPs before a reshuffle later this year and his selection of a new deputy in November (while the party's leadership is now decided by a tortuous primary voting process, the leader can simply shoulder-tap his preferred no. 2).

A 3News-Reid Research poll found the top contenders for Labour deputy are:

• Jacinda Ardern 33%;
• Don’t know/don’t care 28%; and
• Annette King 25%.

Grant Robertson would be a capable pick but he's too ambitious for the top job to be on Mr Little's shortlist.

Beyond that, it's tricky. Annette King is a safe pair of hands. She's a 1980s veteran but remains energetic and can be relied on to land a couple of jabs in any head-to-head with the Nats.

Ms Ardern is seen in some quarters as the face of the future. She has been increasingly in the public eye, but reviews have been mixed. Commentator Matthew Hooton has even managed to be pro and anti at nearly the same time. He tweeted yesterday afternoon: "Bugger. My Oct @MetroMagNZ column criticises @jacindaardern's political skills. Just as it goes to printer, she smashes @johnkeypm in #nzqt."

Here's the Question Time exchange he is referring to (and some video below). It begins with the tiresome "Does he stand by all his statements" (which Labour persists with despite in falling flat in the run-up to the last election). But Ms Ardern picks up from there, and does get some cut-through with her final three supplementary questions before the prime minister rebounds a little to round things off with a Red Peak quip:

11. Jacinda Ardern (Labour) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements after almost seven years as Prime Minister?

Rt Hon John Key (Prime Minister): Yes, especially the statement I made that when Jacinda Ardern becomes the leader, the cool thing is that I will have faced more Labour leaders than Australian Prime Ministers.

Jacinda Ardern: Does he stand by his statement that “A small majority of New Zealanders will say that they will change the flag”, when the latest poll shows that after seeing his options, almost 70% have rejected change?

Rt Hon John Key: Yes, and what is rapidly emerging after seven years of being Prime Minister is not only do I have to run the policies that the government has, I now have to try to implement the policies that the opposition has as well.

Jacinda Ardern: Is his claim that the polls are not granular enough the reason he has started his own poll by asking every audience at every speech he gives whether they want the flag to change, including at a cancer fund-raiser; if so, is this granular, scientific, or – most important – is it appropriate?

Rt Hon John Key: All of the above.

Mr Speaker: The answer was not heard. Could the Prime Minister –

Rt Hon John Key: All of the above.

Jacinda Ardern: Are the rumours true that his chief of staff is trying to get him to stop doing straw polls on the flag in every single speech, because his audiences are angry at having to waste their time on his pet project?

Rt Hon John Key: Far from that being correct, I think record numbers of people are turning up.

Mr Speaker: Order! Both front benches, again, are interjecting and carrying on a conversation. If they wish to do so, I invite them to go out to the lobbies.

Jacinda Ardern: When he claimed on Radio New Zealand National that “I haven’t had an audience yet where more than 50% wanted to keep the flag,” was that a reference to a straw poll of his National caucus?

Mr Speaker : The Right Honourable Prime Minister, in as far as there is ministerial responsibility.

Rt Hon John Key: No, but I will tell you what I have not done, and that is come to Parliament and claim I am opposed to changing the flag but go down on to the forecourt waving “Red Peak”. This is a Labour opposition that has a policy that it wants to change the flag. Now, all of a sudden, those members do not want to do it. The only single question is, how long will it be before they change the leader?