National’s newly appointed campaign chair says plenty of lessons have been learnt from the last election and the party is in 'markedly different shape' going into next year
Winning at the ballot box next year is the only acceptable outcome for National’s Chris Bishop, who is taking on the campaign chair job after one of the party’s worst election results ever in 2020.
“The ultimate outcome is to win the election – that’s why the National Party exists, to win elections and ultimately change the country and deal with the tough issues facing New Zealand.”
Newsroom revealed earlier this month that Bishop had been recommended to the party board as preferred campaign chair by his leader Christopher Luxon.
Senior MP Gerry Brownlee had the job in 2020, in addition to being deputy leader to Judith Collins.
The party won just 25 percent of the party vote, returning only 33 MPs to Parliament after losing a number of safe blue seats including Whangarei, Rangitata, and Brownlee’s own seat of Ilam.
Bishop was hesitant to share with Newsroom any specific changes he’d make to next year’s campaign.
“As a party we’ve been going through the process of digesting the last election. There was quite a comprehensive review into that, which we have responded to.
“I’m reluctant to share trade secrets with the media,” he says.
“We’ll be running a strong party vote campaign, be doing all the things strong National campaigns have done in the past, which is good hoardings, a strong volunteer base and making sure we get our message out there to New Zealanders – reaching into every corner of the country.”
“On almost every metric she has failed on promises, so we intend to ruthlessly hold her and her government to account for incompetence and a lack of delivery." – Chris Bishop
Bishop says the party is in a better space than it was a year ago, “and that reflects the fact we are back on track under Christopher and Nicola’s leadership”.
While the 2020 election was very much a Covid-19 platform, Bishop expects the economy to be front and centre next year.
“The cost of living and making sure Kiwis can get ahead, and I think there will also be a real focus on overpromising and under delivery from Labour.
“A lot of New Zealanders feel really let down by the Government, and we intend to ruthlessly prosecute their lack of delivery on the big issues facing New Zealand,” he says.
Recent polls show the race is tightening between National and Labour and the Prime Minister’s favourability is dropping.
At the 2020 election Jacinda Ardern’s favourability hit record highs – not seen since the height of Sir John Key’s popularity.
Asked whether the drop in her favourability meant National would go after Ardern’s personal brand, which parties have avoided in the past, Bishop said he didn’t see a campaign where National would be “engaging in personality politics”.
“I don’t think we ever had," Bishop says.
“On almost every metric she has failed on promises, so we intend to ruthlessly hold her and her Government to account for incompetence and a lack of delivery.
“I don’t see that as personality-based politics, I just see that as us doing our job.”
The strategy for 2023 will be to run a “disciplined party vote campaign to harness as many votes for National as possible”.
“The best way to win electorate seats is to raise the party vote because so many people two-tick the party vote and the electorate vote.
“We saw that last election with Labour doing so well in the party vote and picking up a bunch of seats – some of which they’d never held before – like Ilam and Whangarei for example,” he says.
And National plans to run a strong party vote campaign in Epsom, the seat held by ACT leader David Seymour since 2014.
“We won the party vote in Epsom last time, in fact Epsom was the only seat where we won the party vote in the entire country, so yes, we will run a strong campaign in Epsom.”
Labour senior MP Grant Robertson and campaign chair Megan Woods have both raised concerns with Newsroom about the threats against MPs when at public events, and the impact that might have on the campaign next year.
Robertson says the threats are greater and more intense and have resulted in him having to coordinate and ask for support from the police diplomatic protection squad.
As a result of the increased threats to safety, public walkabouts could be off the table for Labour next year.
Bishop says he’s had no indication that is a problem for National and Labour hadn’t talked to his party about it either.
“As far as I know we’ve had no communication to that effect, and we’re not planning on doing anything differently to what we’ve done in the past.”
Having previously worked for National’s former campaign chair, Steven Joyce, who oversaw Key’s successful election wins, Bishop anticipated getting in touch with his former boss and colleague to chat strategy.
“He’s a guy I’ve got a lot of time for and admire, and obviously he’s been very successful.”
Campaign chair is a big job when you’re also trying to win back an electorate lost to Labour at the last election, but Bishop says he’s up for it all.
“I intend to run in Hutt South, I’m pretty keen to try and win that back for National.
“There’s 24 hours in every day. I don’t sleep very much at the moment anyway, I’ve got a new baby and there’s lots to do but I like being busy,” he says.
When Bishop was asked to chair the campaign, he accepted the job because he wants to contribute.
“I want to change the Government, be a minister, and change this country – because the trajectory we’re on at the moment is not a good one,” he says.
“I just want to do my bit to help get rid of this useless Government."
