Will’s Word: Labour's major policy moment or just a major misfire?

Boy, it has been a tough 24 hours for the Labour Party, getting absolutely dragged in media coverage after announcing its first big policy.

Commentators have called it everything from vague to meh to politically tone deaf. And I'm not going to join the chorus of noise rubbishing the policy. Frankly, I'm just pleased the party's putting some new ideas on the table at all.

It's been months of political adrift, recycled talking points and promises of “we've got policy in the pipeline, just wait”. So, yes, it's good to see something fresh but I suppose the bigger question is: was this the right policy to come out with first?

Because while I stand by what I said yesterday, that it's great to see something future-focused, something that looks beyond the next election cycle, I'm not sure the average Kiwi struggling to pay rent, buy food and keep the power on really cares about a fund investing in infrastructure and local businesses.

Full disclosure, I actually sat down and read the policy document because that's me, I'm a political nerd, and I enjoyed it. But if I zoom out and put myself in the shoes of someone who isn't, it reads like political mumbo-jumbo with a few nice pictures.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

So who in the Labour camp thought this was the right policy to lead with? If the goal was to show vision and long-term thinking, mission accomplished. But if the goal was to connect with ordinary Kiwis who are feeling the squeeze right now, then this massively missed the mark.

I suppose it's a sobering reminder that good policy is about more than what's in the document. It's about timing, delivery and relevance. While this may be a solid economic idea, it's been drowned out by a simple truth: people are hurting now, not ten years from now.

That's Will's Word.