“The way things are going, Labour is going to run out of Ministers before October. If Hipkins doesn’t have the talent to keep a Government running he should bring the election forward and let New Zealanders pick a Government that is up to the job,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“Wood might just be the last capitalist the Labour Party had. There’s nothing wrong with investing to grow wealth, but there is something wrong with remaining invested in areas that you have direct influence over as a Cabinet Minister. He might just find that this is a blessing in disguise for him and that he has a more lucrative career as a stock broker ahead of him.
“It is mind boggling that someone could have so many conflicts for so long and do so little about them. Being unable to keep up with life admin might be acceptable in a student flat but it’s not when you’re a well-paid Minister of the Crown responsible for major decisions that impact Kiwis’ lives.
“It’s no wonder the economy is in recession, wages are going backwards, there are daily instances of violent crime, and the health and education sectors are in crisis when the rabble in charge of all of this can’t even keep their own affairs in order.
“Labour is showing over and over again that it is not cut out for governing. Stuart Nash, Michael Wood, Kiri Allan and Meka Whaitiri have all resigned, been stood down, or been sacked in recent months. Labour’s Ministers just aren’t up to their jobs.
“While it’s positive that Hipkins has shown some willingness to relieve Ministers of their portfolios once he’s come under pressure, if we want real change, New Zealanders will need to fire them all.”