New Zealand Labour Party leadership election, 2017
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The 2017 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 1 August 2017 to choose the next Leader of the
New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...
. The election was won by Deputy Leader and Mount Albert MP Jacinda Ardern.


Background

Labour leader Andrew Little had led Labour since 2014 and, after several poor results, announced his intention to retire from the leadership on 1 August 2017, following intense media speculation. According to Ardern, Little had previously approached her on her birthday, July 26, and stated he thought she should take over as party leader, as he was of the opinion he could not turn things around for Labour. Ardern said she had refused, telling him to "stick it out".


Result

As Ardern was the only officially nominated candidate, she was universally elected as party leader and took over Little's role as
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
as well. Kelvin Davis was then elected unopposed as deputy leader filling the vacancy caused by Ardern's elevation. At 37, Ardern became the youngest leader of the Labour Party. She is also the second woman to lead the party after Helen Clark. Ardern's tenure as leader began just eight weeks before the
2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November  ...
, and at a press conference following her election as leader, she said that the forthcoming election campaign would be one of "relentless positivity".


Outcome

Immediately following the announcement that Ardern had been elected leader, Labour was inundated with donations by the public, at their peak reaching NZ$700 per minute. Ardern's election was followed by a spate of positive coverage from many sections of the media, including international outlets such as CNN, with commentators referring to a 'Jacinda effect' and '
Jacindamania Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
'. Labour also rose dramatically upon Ardern's elevation to the leadership; by late August they had risen to 43 per cent in the Colmar Brunton poll (having been 24 per cent before the leadership change) as well as managing to overtake
National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
in opinion polls for the first time in over a decade. In the last week of the campaign, the party dropped in the polls, and achieved second place behind National in the preliminary results of the 23 September election. However National did not secure a majority, leaving
New Zealand First New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...
as kingmaker, which negotiated with both parties about a coalition agreement. On 19 October 2017, it was announced that Labour had formed a government with New Zealand First and the Greens, and making Ardern Prime Minister. Andrew Little was later lauded by Labour supporters for putting aside his personal ambition to allow Ardern to lead Labour, which saw a swift reversal of fortunes. His decision was labelled a "selfless masterstroke" and he was praised for his integrity and selflessness. Little acknowledged later that the decision to stand aside was a painful one but got over it quickly knowing that his move had paid off for Labour. He was then elected as a Cabinet Minister by the Labour caucus following Labour's formation of a government.


See also

*
2017 New Zealand general election The 2017 New Zealand general election took place on Saturday 23 September 2017 to determine the membership of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament. The previous parliament was elected on 20 September 2014 and was officially dissolved on 22 August 20 ...
*
Shadow Cabinet of Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Ardern announced a reshuffled shadow cabinet on 3 August 2017, just two days after she was elected Leader of the Labour Party in New Zealand. The changes were relatively minor and mostly kept the structure inherited from her predecessor ...


References

{{Jacinda Ardern Labour Pary leadership election
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
Jacinda Ardern New Zealand Labour Party leadership election