Friday, January 26, 2007

Real New Zealanders

This is the combined backgrounds of Labour's caucus and party list from the last election; their qualifications for office and their careers prior to entering Parliament. It makes very fascinating reading, and gives a direct lie to tenuous claims by some of the filthy pinko bloggers that the Labour Party is a broad mix of people from everyday New Zealand.

THE CAUCUS

Helen Clark. University lecturer. Member of the Association of University Staff.

Michael Cullen. University lecturer. AUS delegate.

Margaret Wilson. University lecturer. Appointed to Law Commisison by Geoffrey Palmer. Labour Party President. Later professor of law at Waikato. Chair of the Association of University Teachers. Secretary of the Legal Employees Union.

Steve Maharey. Sociology lecturer at Massey "University". AUS delegate.

Parekura Horomia. Public servant. PSA delegate.

Phil Goff. University lecturer. Insurance Workers’ Union organizer.

Annette King. Dental nurse and polytech tutor. Nurses organization delegate.

Trevor Mallard. School teacher. PPTA secretary.

Marian Hobbs. School teacher. PPTA delegate. Admits to being a former communist.

Dover Samuels. Maori Vice President of the Labour Party. Far North District Councillor.

Pete Hodgson. Vet. School teacher. PPTA delegate.

Taito Phillip Field. Promoted as New Zealand’s first Pacific Island MP. Spent seventeen years as a trade union official, most latterly in an executive role with the Service Workers’ Union, assisting the welfare of South Auckland’s most vulnerable, low-income residents. Currently under a police investigation following allegations he received personal benefit as an MP in exchange for assisting certain vulnerable, low-income residents.

Ruth Dyson: Close friend of Helen Clark’s. Former Labour Party president. Worked for Labour Minister of Employment. Active in the CTU. Worked for Fran Wilde on the Homosexual Law Reform Bill.

Mita Ririnui. Previously private secretary to the president of the Ratana Church. Worked for Special Education Services. PSA delegate.

Mark Burton. PSA delegate. Worked for the Department of Social Welfare, and the Palmerston North City Council.

Paul Swain. CTU Research Officer, and Federation of Labour official.

Judith Tizard. Auckland councilor. Electorate Secretary to Helen Clark. PSA member. Helen Clark’s closest personal friend. Resides in Wellington at Premier House. Patron of the Auckland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual communities.

Chris Carter. School teacher. PPTA delegate. Promoted as Labour’s first openly gay cabinet minister. Key member of Labour’s Rainbow faction.

Winnie Laban. PSA member. Public servant, also working in the voluntary sector.

Rick Barker. National Secretary of the Service Workers’ Union.

Mahara Okeroa. Teacher. PPTA delegate. Worked for Ministry of Education and Te Puni Kokiri, and was a PSA delegate.

David Benson-Pope. PPTA chairman for Otago. Dunedin City Councillor. School teacher.

Jill Pettis. Nurse. Delegate for the Nurses Organisation, and for Finsec.

Ashraf Choudhary. University lecturer. Involved in the Federation of Ethnic Councils. Member of Association of University Staff. Promoted as Labour’s first Muslim MP. President of the Federation of Islamic Associations.

Lianne Dalziel. Legal officer and Secretary for Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union.

Shane Jones: Worked at the Ministry for Environment, then Maori Fisheries Commission. PSA member.

Dianne Yates: Former teacher. Delegate for the PPTA, and the Association of University Staff. Has issued two press releases in the last two years, and made one public speech.

Mark Gosche: CTU executive member, spent 22 years as a paid union official.

Ann Hartley: Former city councilor. PSA member. Has published no speeches in the last eighteen months, and issued no press releases in the last year.

David Cunliffe: PSA member, former public servant working for MFAT.

Martin Gallagher: School teacher, member of PPTA, Hamilton City Councillor for nine years.

Steve Chadwick: Nurses organization delegate, Rotorua district councilor, and administrator in a public hospital.

Darren Hughes: PSA member, member of VUWSA’s executive. Worked as Judy Keall’s executive assistant before entering Parliament.

Georgina Beyer: Promoted as Labour’s first transsexual MP. No known union activities. Carterton Councillor and mayor.

Maryan Street: Promoted as the first out lesbian woman Labour MP. Began career as a schoolteacher, before becoming full-time official for the PPTA. Worked for the CTU, before becoming a labour relations specialist at Auckland University. Subsequently became employee relations manager for district health boards. Labour Party President.

David Parker: Lawyer. Personally very close to several prominent trade unionists. After sacking Electricity Commissioner Roy Hemmingway for following an independent line, Parker appointed former CTU economist and Cullen political adviser Peter Harris to the job.

Russell Fairbrother: Organiser for the Meat Workers’ Union before becoming a lawyer.

Dave Hereora: Organiser, Service and Foodworkers Union

Lynne Pillay: Organiser for EPMU and the Nurses Organisation.

Moana Mackey: Delegate for the EPMU. University researcher.

Sue Moroney: Worked for Northern Hotel Workers’ Union, then secretary of equine workers’ union. Spent eleven years working for the Nurses’ Organisation. Apart from School Certificate, she also has a certificate in “Labour and Trade Union Studies” from the “University” of Waikato.

Darien Fenton: Vice President of the CTU, National Secretary of the Service and Food Workers’ Union, and Vice President of the Labour Party responsible for union affiliates. Has sought to extend the minimum wage to independent contractors since entering Parliament.

Charles Chauvel: Began his career with the Hotel Workers Union. Worked in industrial and employment law, representing primarily unions, throughout his legal career before entering Parliament. Spent fifteen years working on gay/lesbian issues. President of the Aids Foundation.

NEXT IN LINE:
Lesley Soper: Convener Southland CTY. NZEI Organiser. Appointed deputy chair of Southland DHB by Annette King. Typically, states her qualifications for becoming a Labour MP: “I have done the hard yards, politically and in the union movement.”

Louisa Wall. Of Maori descent. Employed by the Human Rights Commission. Heavily promoted by Labour’s Rainbow Group as an icon. Also a government-appointed board member of SPARC. Member of the PSA.

Su’a William Sio. Samoan chiefly title. Close friend of Taito Phillip Field. Manukau City Councillor. Called on Manukau City to contribute to locked out NDU workers during the Progressive dispute. Formerly a union delegate.

Brendon Burns: Manager, Government Communications Unit, Prime Minister’s Office. Spent the first nine years of his career as a journalist at Radio New Zealand as a parliamentary reporter. PSA member.

Hamish McCracken: FINSEC union organizer. Now a “lecturer” in “politics” at Auckland “University” of Technology.

Denise MacKenzie. Wairarapa school teacher, and organizer for the NZEI union.

Max Purnell. Coromandel farmer. Government appointee to AGMARDT, the Agricultural Marketing Trust. Chairs Labour’s Rural Sector Council.

Wayne Harpur: Invercargill City Councillor. Appointed by Government to Invercargill Airport Ltd. Former trade union organiser.

Leila Boyle. Auckland City Councillor. Tutor at Auckland University. Member of the Association of University Staff. Received significant personal lobbying from Sports Minister Trevor Mallard to cast a pro-waterfront vote last week. Personal Mentor: Judith Tizard.

Dinesh Tailor: Chair of the Auckland Refugee Council, and Federation of Ethnic Communities. Appointed a JP by Phil Goff. Made a QSO in June. Sanctioned with getting out the “ethnic vote”.

Phil Twyford: Electorate secretary to Helen Clark. Previously an organizer with the Hotel Workers Union, and an official at Oxfam. Appointed by Jim Sutton to sit on the ministerial advisory group on trade negotiations, and by Maryan Hobbs to sit on the ministerial advisory group on international development. Served as chair of Labour’s policy council. Creative NZ, via Judith Tizard, appointed Twyford as project director for Book Month.

Jen McCutcheon, PPTA President, having spent seven years as a full-time union organiser. CTU board member. Employed by ERO. Now deputy director of the Correspondence School.

Chris Yoo: President of the New Zealand Korean society. Charged with getting the Korean vote out. Gave a symposium to a large Human Rights Commission gathering on “Human Rights and the Treaty of Waitangi”. Of course.

Michael Wood: Finsec organizer since leaving university. Appointed by Steve Maharey to the council of Manukau Institute of Technology.

Linda Hudson: SWFU member, Whakatane District Councillor.

Stuart Nash: Marketing manager. Appointed to Director of Strategic Developments at A”U”T, with the extraordinary statement by the vice chancellor that “his powerful communication skills, a concern for social justice and desire to lift New Zealand's economic performance have drawn him to the political spheres where he has been a significant member of the Labour Party.”

Tony Milne: Youth Vice President of the Labour Party. Executive assistant to Tim Barnett. Member of the Rainbow group in Labour. PSA member.

David Talbot: Previously staffer to Pete Hodgson and Marian Hobbs. PSA member. Now employed by ESR.

Marilyn Brown: Palmerston North City Councillor. PSA member.

Anjum Rahman. Frequently a keynote speaker at Government-sponsored human rights, social policy, feminist and health gatherings.

Eamon Daly, disability activist. Promoted by Ruth Dyson and others as New Zealand’s first tetraplegic MP, if elected. Human Rights Review Tribunal Member. Biothics Council Member.

Grant Duffy: Former PSA activist, now runs the Department of Labour’s Partnership Resource Centre. The Centre’s role is to promote union bargaining with employers.

Judy Lawley: Full-time Waitakere City Councillor, “because the demands on city councillors are continually increasing with the ever-widening responsibilities”. Lists her key priorities as a city councillor as “Social issues - addressing poverty, good parenting, healthy communities with access to facilities for everyone, alcohol problems, crime, economic development, and education and training.” Doesn’t list roading, sewerage, or city infrastructure once. Former school teacher and PPTA delegate.

Mike Mora. Christchurch City Councillor. Trade unionist.

Erin Ebborn-Gillespie, Christchurch solicitor.

Ai Lian Su. No idea. Never heard of him.

Ghazala Anwar. Pakistani descent. Lecturer in Religious Studies at Canterbury University. Member of Association of University Staff. Specialist in Islamic Studies, and women’s issues in Islam.

Paul Gibson. Disability campaigner. Former president of VUWSA, and the Disabled Persons Assembly.

Kelly-Ann Harvey: Electorate agent to Judith Tizard. Involved in the Landmark Forum. PSA member.

Camille Nakhid. Lecturer in Social Services at A”U”T. Association of University Staff member. Involved with Waitakare City’s Ethnic Community liaison committee. Henderson Community Board member.. University lecturer. Chair of the Association of University Teachers. Secretary of the Legal Employees Union.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

...and I'm supposed to be shocked that a party originally formed by the trade unions is full of people who support trade unions?

And honestly, being a trade union member as many of these MPs are, is hardly an unusual thing.

Moneo said...

Phil Twyford: Electorate secretary to Helen Clark. Previously an organizer with the Hotel Workers Union, and an official at Oxfam. Appointed by Jim Sutton to sit on the ministerial advisory group on trade negotiations, and by Maryan Hobbs to sit on the ministerial advisory group on international development. Served as chair of Labour’s policy council. Creative NZ, via Judith Tizard, appointed Twyford as project director for Book Month.

An Official at Oxfam? He was the founder of Oxfam NZ and spent a year directing the international body! He was in talks with key world figures such as Dubya and Gordon Brown! He was also a journalist at the Auckland star, amongst many other things.

Your list is simply incompetent, just take Phil as an example. And Ai Lian Su is a woman - which surely cannot be too hard to find out?

I could ask in return how many National MPs have connections to the stock exchange, but it honestly doesn't matter. People have lives outside work, and just because you spent a year of your adult life working for a union doesn't make you a lacky or a totaltarian communist, or lacking in necessary life experience to be an MP.

Insolent Prick said...

STC:

I value your very lucid contribution: that Phil Twyford also worked as a journalist at the Auckland Star. Considering the Star clost sixteen years ago, I don't imagine that it was the defining moment of his career. What's your point, exactly? That I described him as an oxfam official, when, as you've pointed out in your party political broadcast, he was an oxfam official?

Ai Lian Su may well be a woman, for all I know of him/her. Suffice to say that s/he does not have a profile on the Labour Party website devoted to list candidates in 2005, never issued any press statements during the campaign, and the only internet references to him/her are that s/he was number 71 on Labour's list.

Many of you repulsive pinkos like to claim Labour MPs as mainstream New Zealanders. That is patently not the case. The Labour Party council controls the selection of candidates. At a time when even Aunty Helen is saying that Labour needs to renew itself, recent history shows that the Labour Council only chooses people who are either:

1. Unionists
2. Of the "rainbow community"
3. From an ethnic minority, or Maori.

Insolent Prick said...

Anonymous:

Being a unionist is not unusual. It is virtually mandatory for Labour Party selection, unless a candidate has particularly outstanding qualities--according to the Labour Council--that are appropriate to selection. Like being Maori, lesbian, or Muslim. Ideally all three.

Anonymous said...

Dear I.P. I am Wayne Harpur whom you have blogged on my Labour List status, Yes I am an Invercargill City Councillor, elected in August 2006, yes I was appointed by Government to Invercargill Airport Ltd, I resigned this position after my council election due a potential conflict of interest as the council is the Governments partner in the Airport and no I was not a Former trade union organiser, I was a Workplace Delegate and Executive member of the Engineers Union from 1984 until 1993. In 1993 I stood for the Invercargill seat nomination that was won by Mark Peck, then secured the nomination to contest the Invercargill seat in 2005 following Mark's retirement.

In 1993 I went into business by purchasing a small heating and ventilating company in Invercargill which my wife and I still own, having grown it from a 3 person to 25 person business.

I also have substantial Governance experience including over a $200m Investment Portfolio and over $7 - $10m of Community Grantmaking per annum.

I am an executive member of Venture Southland the Tourism, Economic and Community Development Agency in Southland, I am a sport administrator and official and have trustee responsibilities at the SIT (Southern Institute of Technology), Aurora College, Te Wharekura and for a year or so I was the non catholic change manager employed by the Archbishop of Dunedin to asssit with the transition of his schools.

I realise I am at the other end of the country but I am testimony that the Labour Party does have people on it's list with Business, Governance and Community substance if you are willing to dig a bit deeper than you have.

For more information you can check out my website on www.wayneharpur.co.nz or email me to elaborate on any issues you wish.

Anonymous said...

You missed

Moana Mackey: worked for an oil company.

Unknown said...

"That I described him as an oxfam official, when, as you've pointed out in your party political broadcast, he was an oxfam official?"

Certainly - just as Don Brash could be described as merely a former National Party member. To do so however would be to omit quite critical details of his actual activities within the party, which could be construed as being misleading.

As has been pointed out by others it appears you have simply cherry-picked from people's backgrounds those occupations that serve your purpose. Even assuming however your list is both accurate and complete (which it isn't), I still fail to see what point you've made other than that members of a political party seem to have things in common. Wow, who would have thought.

Graeme Edgeler said...

"Currently under a police investigation following allegations he received personal benefit as an MP in exchange for assisting certain vulnerable, low-income residents."

Residents? I thought the point of the investigation was into his dealings with non-residents...

Span said...

And for a little bit of balance, (i.e. mention of many of the bio career listings IP has omitted) here was my take on the issue, posted a few days ago:
http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2007/01/few-surprises-in-labour-caucus.html

Red Devil has also made a few more additions over on Jordan's original post, including that apparently Moana Mackey was a scientist.
http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2007/01/few-surprises-in-labour-caucus.html

Insolent Prick said...

Wayne,

Thank you for your rather pointless own-goal, which demonstrates that you are of the typical Labour Party unionist stock, and that with the exception of your ventilation business, all your appointments to boards have been either by a Labour Government, or your local council.

Forgive me if I don't appreciate the distinction between my claim that you have been a union organiser, and your correction that you were a "workplace delegate" with eight years executive experience in the EPMU.

You are a classic example of why local government should be pared back. It has clearly become a breeding ground for low-level, interfering socialist hacks with nothing better to do.

FYI, Bishop Campbell of Dunedin is not an archbishop. Dunedin has never been an archdiocese.

However, I do agree that relatively speaking, you do appear to have more rounded experience than many in the Labour Party caucus. With this in mind, why were Jill Pettis, Dianne Yates, and Sue Moroney--to name just a few--placed ahead of you on the list?

I can only advise that to enhance your political career within the Labour Party, you might want to follow in Georgina's footsteps.

Insolent Prick said...

Glenn,

Apparently you have "slammed" me over the merits of a person whom Labour considered not sufficiently important to place in a winnable position on the Labour Party list last year.

Anonymous, if Phil Twyford was really so very esteemed as New Zealand's Oxfam Director, why were Jill Pettis, Sue Moroney, and Dianne Yates ahead of him?

I don't have a gripe with Phil Twyford. No doubt his position on Labour's council this year will ensure he has a much higher list placing next election. But he comes from a very typical Labour Party stock: union background, employed with a string of Labour Party and taxpayer-funded appointments, giving him the perfect opportunity to campaign for the socialists. Either he is very brilliant--in which case Labour's system is flawed for not selecting him last time--or he's actually no more exceptional than Jill Pettis, Sue Moroney, or Judith Tizard.

Barnsley Bill said...

IP, brilliant work. It saddens me that the labour party does not have one "average joe". There is not a single person on that list that I can look at and say "hey they are normal, they have led a balanced life and achieved somthing outside of the public service/ unions.
of course the sheeple of NZ have the government they deserve, and we will see these people returned to power at the next looly scramble because they bribe better than the opposition.

Anonymous said...

Could you please correct the entry for Judith Tizard as follows:

- IP lists Judith Tizard as "Auckland councilor" [sic] - Judith served on the Auckland Electric Power Board (1977-1983), and the Auckland Regional Councillor for Panmure (1988-91);

- When Parliament is sitting, Judith resides in ministerial housing in Wellington - not at Premier House;

- Judith is Patron of 11 organisations including the Mt Wellington Women's Bowling Club and the Auckland Brass Band. She is an Honorary member of the Otahuhu & District RSA, and Honorary Vice-President of the Otahuhu & District Highland Pipe Band.

Insolent Prick said...

Dear office of the hon judith tizard:

No correction necessarily. You have made the correction here. I'm not sure what your point is, precisely, but I can tell you this. We do not yet live in a society where ministerial offices dictate the tone and content of what is said about them.

Now go and do some bloody work. No doubt Ministerial Services pays you a bloody whopping great salary for you to do something somewhat more productive than act as editor of my blog.

Anonymous said...

Doubt as we may that Labour has the depth of talent that it needs..

Helen Clark has led the caucus and country while FOUR National Party leadership changes have happened. (No need to be jealous guys)

Irrespective of individual backgrounds, the Caucus has been consistently steady in this term of government, with all challenges of MMP.

If the Labour Party really thought that yer average red-necked Kiwi battler like Bob the Builder was of use to them, they could have easily found someone.

On the other hand, the National Party has switched from the far right of politics to the left of someone like Tony Blair's Government - and it only took a week or so.

What does National REALLY want for New Zealand. Have all the caucus overnight become warm fuzzies?
Or are they just a bunch of anti Labour opportunists - ready to follow anyone.

Mrs Smith said...

A lot of university lecturers on the list. Those who can, do. Those who can't,...

Anonymous said...

Thank you Mrs Smith, such common sense (which is uncommonly found).

ZenTiger said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ZenTiger said...

Helen Clark has led the caucus and country while FOUR National Party leadership changes have happened. (No need to be jealous guys)

Don't worry, not jealous in the slightest. I understand exactly what Labour are prepared to do to win.

Their conduct is hardly aspirational.

Anonymous said...

I don't want to have loss. In my opinion you're really worth knowing just because you

are very special .I like you very much ,If we have fate,maybe you will get more help

and happiness on http://www.ldate.com/blogs/blogs,
thank godness,let us exchange points each other!