Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger has weighed in on the National Party's leadership race, saying that the party he once led needs to have a serious think about where it wants to go.<\/p>\n
Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger. Photo: RNZ\/Rebekah Parsons-King<\/p>\n
Leader Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence this week and deputy leader Shane Reti was named acting leader.<\/p>\n
The party is scheduled to meet Tuesday to select a new leader, with former leader Simon Bridges and MP Christopher Luxon among the top candidates.<\/p>\n
Reti is the fifth leader the National Party has had since Jacinda Ardern was elected Prime Minister in 2017.<\/p>\n
The former National leader, who was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, spoke to TVNZ's Q + A today and did not mince words when it came to evaluating the current state of his party.<\/p>\n
\"Disappointing is a very gentle way of putting it,\" Bolger said. \"The electors gave their verdict at the last election.\"<\/p>\n
\"What the National Party needs to be doing ... is actually saying what are we going to do different. What's our new vision?\"<\/p>\n
Bolger would not be drawn on whether he thought Bridges or Luxon should be the next leader.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure the qualities are in the caucus,\" he said. \"The caucus has to decide which of them can meet some of the challenges.\"<\/p>\n
\"I'm not going to nominate them. I just think they have to look at presenting the National vision much better than they did before the last election.\"<\/p>\n
Simon Bridges and Chris Luxon may contest Tuesday's National Party leadership vote. Photo: Dom Thomas<\/p>\n
The National Party suffered a landslide defeat last year and won the party vote in only one electorate.<\/p>\n
\"You can't get much lower than that,\" Bolger said.<\/p>\n
Bolger said society is currently divided on many levels, noting \"the divisions that are occurring in New Zealand now between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated,\" and National needs a leader who can bridge that gap.<\/p>\n
\"We want a leader in the opposition as well as in government. We want a leader that can bring people together.\"<\/p>\n
Bolger said that a kind of \"reimagining capitalism\" needs to be done, not just in Aotearoa but globally.<\/p>\n
\"Clearly the model that's been pursued across the world now is dividing societies. Some are getting obscenely rich and others are going to the food kitchens. That's a dangerous position for a society.\"<\/p>\n
\"We've got to do a lot of hard thinking as a society, not only the National Party.\"<\/p>\n
Bolger said the caucus should remember they will not just be selecting a new leader, but possibly a future prime minister.<\/p>\n
\"What vision do they have? What new ideas do they have?\"<\/p>\n
Bolger noted that transitions from a popular leader are hard in any party.<\/p>\n
\"The Labour Party were exactly the same when Helen Clark left.\"<\/p>\n
National should not think that Labour is unbeatable in 2023, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There is no reason the Labour Party can't be defeated at the next election two years away.\"<\/p>\n
But he said National needs to be more than just naysayers.<\/p>\n
\"They've got to do much more than just be critics.<\/p>\n
\"What people want to know is if you don't like it, what would you do instead?<\/p>\n
Bolger led National through three elections in the 1990s, and told Q + A that the party has to keep changing.<\/p>\n
\"It really needs a person who has a vision that they can sell that's inclusive, that understands the stresses and strains of a modern society.\"<\/p>\n
\"I want to encourage whoever is the leader to think bigger than they've been thinking for the last little while.\"<\/p>\n
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'Disappointing' National Party needs 'new vision' - Former PM - RNZ<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger has weighed in on the National Party's leadership race, saying that the party he once led needs to have a serious think about where it wants to go. Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger. Photo: RNZ\/Rebekah Parsons-King Leader Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence this week and deputy leader Shane Reti was named acting leader. Continue reading