On today's chart 7,672 views since yesterday

Hipkins: "I think we're going to surprise everybody"

NZ Herald's Paekākāriki press conference pairs Labour's polling pushback with its case for infrastructure investment and youth employment.

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nzherald.co.nz Story of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 7,672 views.

NZ Herald Live: Chris Hipkins holds stand-up at Paekākāriki

Things we can learn from the video

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0:54Edmonds sets out Labour's infrastructure and Apprenticeship Boost priorities for supporting employment.
10:14Hipkins challenges public polls' predictive accuracy, citing errors before the 2020 election.
15:43Handford says her Kāpiti campaign expects to pass 10,000 doors knocked that afternoon.
20:00Coffey describes cost-of-living concerns he hears while campaigning across Te Tai Hauāuru.
25:03Hipkins calls reports of eligible voters being incorrectly turned away unacceptable.
27:50Hipkins argues that move-on orders fail to address the underlying causes of homelessness.

Chris Hipkins is putting his faith in the doorstep campaign rather than the polls. At Labour's Paekākāriki media stand-up, he points to electorates including Kāpiti and Hutt South as reasons for confidence heading into New Zealand's election.

"I think we're going to surprise everybody. We're seeing a very high turnout at this election..." he says, challenging the predictive value of public polling and recalling polling errors before the 2020 election. That is his campaign assessment, not a result.

NZ Herald's recording drew about 8,000 views in its first seven hours. It gives viewers more than a leader's election forecast: finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds opens with Labour's economic argument, while candidates Sophie Handford and Tāmati Coffey describe what they are hearing locally.

Edmonds criticises the government's unemployment record and sets out Labour's emphasis on infrastructure investment and Apprenticeship Boost to help keep young people in work. Handford supplies a tangible measure of her Kāpiti ground campaign: the team expects to pass 10,000 doors knocked that afternoon. Coffey describes cost-of-living pressures raised by people across Te Tai Hauāuru.

Later questions turn from winning votes to whether people can cast them. Hipkins calls reports that eligible voters were incorrectly told they could not vote unacceptable. He also challenges the government's response to homelessness, arguing that moving people along does not address why they lack a home: "Move-on orders are not the answer to homelessness."

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