Sunday14th June 2009: Q+A’s Guyon Espiner interviews Mt Albert by-election winner, David Shearer.

The interview has been transcribed below. The full length video interviews and panel discussions from this morning’s Q+A can be seen on tvnz.co.nz at,
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news

David Shearer Interviewed By Guyon Espiner

GUYON Congratulations on your result last night….why do you think you were so successful?

DAVID I think it’s a combination of things. I think we listened to the people out there and particularly for me I really needed to do that coming as I did from outside. Listen very carefully to what people were saying. And I think we had a party organisation that really got in behind what we were doing. It was really important that we won and we won well in Mt Albert.

GUYON You were very organised and the weaknesses of your opponent Melissa Lee, a lot of that, the focus, was on her verbal gaffes. Do you worry that the way that we’re treating politics is too much focused on personalities and on presentation and not enough on the substance?

DAVID There’s a bit of that, because I think you know, as that clip showed before, that Melissa was gutsy and had real courage in what she was doing and often made really good points but often they weren’t being covered very well, so in some ways I think you’re probably right.

GUYON But then we had your leader during that campaign pushing this whole Richard Worth scandal. Do you think that that perhaps distracted from some of the substances of the issues in the campaign at the time?

DAVID Not really I mean when I was talking to people I was asking what were the issues for them and never did Richard Worth come up so I think that was sort of being handled in another sort of bear pit if you like away from the Mt Albert election itself.

GUYON Is that a bear pit that you’re looking forward to entering?

DAVID (laughs) Not that particular bear pit no not at all, no.

GUYON You’ve played a particularly safe campaign, I mean how thoroughly were you managed – were people telling you what to say, what the messages were?

DAVID Um, no. What I said and what I did was very much my own. The messages and what I said was what I heard and what I was in a sense reflecting.
The way I was being able to move around, yes I got advice on that, and staying on messages, this was a learning curve for me so the substance was there in a sense but staying on message I was helped by people.

GUYON Let’s talk about the substance – you were quoted today as saying that Labour needs to generate new ideas, take risks and listen to New Zealanders. What are your new ideas that you are going to bring to Parliament?

DAVID Well right at the moment the new ideas are around the electorate of Mt Albert. I’ve got to get back out there now and deliver on the things I promised people I would deliver on, that’s number one. Number two I think is….
This is a completely new environment and I’m with 13 other up and coming and new MP’s that have joined the Labour party. And it’s about building a team with them and also in a sense representing Mt Albert very well.

GUYON Sure, you also talked today, talking about the old Labour Government, and I quote you, “the risk of hunkering down and fighting battles and then people get tired”. Are you suggesting there that perhaps the battles of the 1990s – public versus private – are they over for you? Is that what you’re saying there?

DAVID No, what I’m really saying is that I think that when you’ve been in Government for nine years there’s a certain tiredness that sets in and people’s perceptions is of a Government that’s been there for a long time. We need to
reconnect, to listen and to come up with some fresh new ideas. Now I think we’ve got real advantage - I think the Mt Albert election was great in that sense because it brought a fantastic team together, it was a huge motivational sort of hit from the outcome and I think helped us to help refocus on listening, reconnecting and moving forward to 2011.

GUYON What portfolios are you interested in in the Party? You must have had this discussion with Phil Goff?

DAVID No I haven’t actually – I mean I’ve been so focused on the game ahead that we haven’t talked about that. I mean obviously I’d like….

GUYON What would you like?

DAVID My background is obviously in international affairs but in many ways…

GUYON So you want the foreign policy role?

DAVID ….no in many ways I’d actually perhaps even prefer a more sort of domestic role for the simple reason that I’d like to connect with New Zealand and some of the real issues that face New Zealand, so obviously I’d like to be challenged …. that would be one thing that would be…and something meaty along those lines would be terrific.

GUYON Already last night some commentators were mentioning you as future leadership material…what are your ambitions?

DAVID Right at the moment is just to do a really good job for the electorate, build the team up. Learn how to be a good parliamentarian, and be a good MP down in Parliament. Breathe through my nose for a little while I think is a good idea. Take it as it comes I think.

GUYON Alright, well we’ll leave it there this morning. Again congratulations on your win last night.

DAVID Thanks very much Guyon.

ENDS