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In between a busy political career, where she is constantly championing for the region and fighting for the Southland voice to be heard, MP for Invercargill Sarah Dowie is fiercely ensuring Southland remains part of the conversation in Wellington.
Travelling between Wellington and Invercargill and being a mum to two young children, Sarah took a moment to chat to whatsoninvers.nz about the National Party’s position, giving her thoughts on its potential new leaders ahead of tomorrow’s vote for the leadership of the party.
What’s the feeling among the National Party at the moment?
I think we’re in a good place, as much as we can be for being in the Opposition. It’s been a privilege to serve New Zealand next to my fellow Southlander, Bill English, and I think it’s important we acknowledge the enviable position he’s left the party in. As leader, Bill was always anchored.
In the lead up to the election, he weathered the rising popularity of Jacinda Ardern but was always dependable and steadfast in his resolve to lead the party. To navigate that and then get 45 per cent of the vote in the 2017 election is the sign of a great leader. It says to me that New Zealanders are still very much engaged with the National Party, and the legacy left by Bill is something everyone in the party wants to see endure, and grow the party to make sure we’re in the best possible position for the 2020 election.
What do each of the potential leaders have to offer?
The different candidates all represent different things and they come from a wide range of
backgrounds. We’ve got two incredibly strong women in the running and all these people have the best interests of the part at heart.
Steven Joyce: was very much the man behind the machine with the John Key and Bill English governments, and he has an innate understanding of strategy and economics, which are very much the National Party’s strength when it comes to governing.
Judith Collins: has a brand and personal dynamic of her own and she’s one of the few people in the party who has been in Opposition before – and she’s good at it. She has a wealth of knowledge to call on and that’s something that can’t be overlooked.
Simon Bridges: is young, he’s of Māori descent and his style is very analytical and prosecutorial. Those are qualities we can see in him as Shadow Leader of the House. He comes from a working-class background and the experiences associated with that are very much something a lot of New Zealanders can identify with.
Amy Adam: was very much the rising star of the John Key government and she’s risen up well in the ranks and proven herself an authoritative figure. Coming from both an urban and rural background, she’s in a unique position to understand the needs and mindsets of many New Zealanders.
Mark Mitchell: is, yes, an unknown to a lot of people at this stage, but he comes from a strong background is well liked by many.
How is the new leader chosen?
Once one of the candidates has the majority (29 votes), we’ll have a new leader. The choice may very well come down to a sentiment of staying the course versus a fresh face. I have full faith in whoever ends up in the position because I know we are all united as a party and all of the candidates are capable and have something to offer. The National Party is a believer in democracy and we will unite behind whoever the leader is.
You’ve spoken a lot about unity – how important is that in a political party?
It’s hugely important. It absolutely has to be one of your core pillars. Not only does it affect your relationships among party members, but it flows on to the way the party is discussed in the public realm. I don’t see how it can be beneficial for any party to have members with completely different agendas who are looking for completely different outcomes. Because of that, National has always had a reputation for getting things done.
What we’re seeing with the Labour coalition, and I think it will become more pronounced throughout their term, is that they’re every much a coalition of opposing ideologies. You’ve got the Green Party who are very much to the left and NZ First who fall to the right.
They’re diametrically opposed and that creates fragmentation in a government. As I said
before, National is very much a united party. We’re a disciplined team and we’re in this unique position at the moment where we genuinely all like each other and have collegial respect for everyone in our party.
What does the race to 2020 look like for National?
We know 2020 is still a while away and there are a lot more strides we’d like to make before that election campaign gets into full swing, but our party remains steadfast. While we’re not the governing party at the moment, popularity among voters remains high and I think people are still genuinely engaged with how we are working for them. We’re building on what we already have while also growing in other areas and I’m excited for New Zealand to see what we can achieve for them.