Today, Labour's candidate for Northland, u/dyljam, hosted a community BBQ event at Paihia.

Whilst manning the tomato sauce, one woman by the name of Jan asks dyljam what Labour will do to protect hospitals.

d: "We in the Labour Party will fight for our country's healthcare system. We will fight for the right of all Kiwis to have access to the very best healthcare available, regardless of their income levels or their socio-economic status. Because we believe it is the right of every New Zealand citizen to have access to world-class healthcare. We will oppose any attempts to decrease funding to our hospitals, or privitise our healthcare system. We will also ensure that paramedics are protected on the job. It doesn't matter whether they're in the cities or the regions, we recognise the invaluable work that these people perform, and we will see that they get home safely after every shift."

A man by the name of Rodd, who claims to spell his name with two D's, initially mistakes dyljam for a senior Australian politician. After this initial confusion, he asks what Labour will do to protect workers and unions.

d: "Labour always has been and always will be the party that protects the interests of workers. National have proven themselves to be the complete opposite. They've announced policies which will push workers under the bus, and give more power to big business. They themselves have admitted that they will take pay away from employees who participate in industrial action! That's blatant blackmail! Labour, on the other hand, will support solidarity strikes. That's because we recognise the importance for workers' to be represented and their rights upheld. We will stand against any attempts to disempower unions, and fight against National's dangerous hard-right rhetoric. On top of this, we will empower workplace safety laws, so that hard-working Kiwis arrive home safely after each shift."

Another gentleman, this time by the name of Tom, queries dyljam as to how Labour will protect the environment.

d: "Labour knows just how important it is to protect the environment. We have always fought strongly against climate change and pollution. And if we're elected, we will continue this fight which we have pioneered over our previous three terms in government. We simply cannot trust National with the environment. We will also continue to oversee our nation's transition towards renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar and geothermal."

Next comes Trish, who is keen to hear what Labour will do for our nation's transport, if elected to government.

d: "I'm passionate about transport, Trish. And I'm keen to see more people using public transport. We believe that our public transport system is in need to be expanded. If elected, we will support the contruction of new electric train lines. We will also electrifiy existing train lines which are not already electrified. As part of our growing nation, it is imperative that we have the right infrastructure in place now. As well as this, we will also improve our nation's freight infrastructure needed to keep our economy growing. We will support new freight train lines, and upgrades to road corridors."