A Labour government would not necessarily keep a dedicated Minister for the South Island, with Labour leader Chris Hipkins calling the role a “tokenistic effort” by National.

Speaking to Chris Lynch Media in Rolleston, New Zealand’s fastest growing town, Hipkins said the South Island had never needed its own minister in the Cabinet he led.

“I think that was a tokenistic effort when they realised that there was only one minister for the South Island left in the government, which of course was an absolute embarrassment,” he said.

National created the role in January 2025, giving it to Rangitata MP James Meager.

Hipkins said his own Cabinet had been full of South Island voices, naming Megan Woods, Rachel Brooking and Damien O’Connor.

“I had Megan Woods sitting almost immediately to my left around the cabinet table… the South Island was well represented in our government, and I expect it will be well represented in my next government as well.”

Kind words for Seymour, but no deal

Hipkins had warm words for ACT leader David Seymour’s work on pharmacy services, but he ruled out working with ACT after the election.

“On Pharmac funding and on issues around pharmacy, I think he’s actually done a reasonably good job. It’s been reasonably sensible and reasonably pragmatic,” he said.

“But there’s no way that I could support David Seymour’s slash and burn agenda. The sorts of cuts that David Seymour and the ACT Party want to make would be devastating for hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders.”

Asked if that meant ACT was completely ruled out, he answered with one word: “Absolutely.”

Peters “cantankerous”

Hipkins had no warmth to spare for NZ First leader Winston Peters, who had promised to remove the climate change component from fuel prices.

“Winston Peters is making a promise that he can never deliver on,” he said.

He said he would not be inviting Peters out for a drink.

“He’s become more cantankerous and less reasonable the longer he’s been there, and I think his behaviour in this term of Parliament has just been inexcusable.”

Hipkins accused Christopher Luxon of letting the smaller coalition parties run the country, pointing to the Regulatory Standards Bill and the Treaty Principles Bill.

“They’ve practically worn out the carpet on the ninth floor of the Beehive, running around and round in circles. He’s had no control over his own government.”

He said any coalition agreement he signed would include basic standards of ministerial conduct for ministers from every party.

The Greens and Te Pāti Māori would not be able to force through policies he had ruled out before the election, he said.

“I’m not just going to let the smaller parties do whatever they want.”

Rolleston’s health squeeze

Rolleston’s new after hours clinic has often reached capacity within hours of opening since it opened a couple of months ago.

Hipkins said 650,000 New Zealanders had not gone to a doctor in the past year because they could not afford it, and many more could not get an appointment.

Labour would make up to three doctor visits a year free, let pharmacies and nurse practitioners handle more basic conditions, and offer low interest loans to doctors setting up or buying into family practices, he said.

“I want to make sure that we can return back to that model of your local family GP practice,” Hipkins said.

Hipkins said Labour had increased medical school places three or four years ago, but training doctors was only part of the answer.

“You then got to make sure they go into primary practice, and that’s where the family doctor loan scheme can make a difference.”

He did not accept that scrapping the 20 district health boards during the pandemic had been a mistake.

“We’re too small of a country to have 20 different health systems… The standard of care you get shouldn’t differ between whether you’re in South Canterbury or Canterbury.”

Māori contracts

Labour’s plan to steer 5% of government contracts to Māori businesses would not disadvantage other firms, Hipkins said.

“Those businesses will still have to compete. They’ll still have to be competitive. They’ll still have to be delivering the best value.”

He said government purchasing had drifted towards big corporations, leaving small businesses across Canterbury, including Māori and Pacific businesses, missing out.

Commuter rail

Hipkins, who lives in Upper Hutt, said he was “a big fan of commuter rail”, but he stopped short of promising a Rolleston to Christchurch service.

“The numbers have to stack up. You’ve got to make sure there’s a good, robust business case… Doesn’t mean it has to be immediately profitable.”

Media and minor parties

Hipkins said parts of the media had given the minor parties disproportionate coverage this campaign.

“I think in this campaign there were some in the media who were a bit bored with the campaign at the beginning and wanted to, I guess, liven it up, and so have given disproportionate coverage to smaller parties.”

He said it had made it harder for the bigger parties to compete, but that undecided voters were leaning towards Labour.

Labour was polling at 27% in the latest 1News Verian poll. Hipkins blamed earlier falls on a “relentless” negative campaign from National and said Labour would “exceed people’s expectations on election day”.

He backed Labour’s candidates to win Christchurch Central, Wigram and Banks Peninsula.

“I don’t believe in a plan B”

Asked whether he had thought about life after politics if Labour lost, Hipkins said he had not.

“I don’t believe in a plan B, and that’s not just a philosophy for politics. That’s my philosophy for life, because as soon as you start thinking about a plan B… you’ve made a decision.”

He did have one firm plan. He is getting married next year.

“I’m a very happy man. I’m a very lucky man,” he said.

The date and venue are being kept under wraps.

“If I’m the prime minister again, which is the goal, I still want it to be a private wedding… The planning is proceeding at pace.”

His other secret to staying in shape is never eating standing up.

“You graze if you’re eating while you’re standing up. So I sit down for three meals a day… and try and avoid the snacking in between times.”

New Zealand votes on November 7.