Labour leader Chris Hipkins was in Rotorua on Tuesday, speaking with local small businesses about what his party had to offer as questions swirled about Luxon’s leadership. Hipkins announced new funds for startup assistance and AI support for small businesses. Khan said “honestly, it’s fuckall political parties can do for small businesses – the job of political entities is to collect as much tax from businesses as they possibly can”. Now, Hipkins says the party will roll out or expand a suite of funds to support small businesses in other ways, including a focus on AI. The standup followed visits to local small businesses, and was followed by one more of the same.