Youth Candidate Review - Labour

Most young candidates (under 35) have bolted to PR professionals and Party Spin Doctors to present (pad) their achievements. Lets put a bit of reverse spin on these young bucks and see if they stand up to the scrutiny. For as you know, I don't think much of young people standing for Parliament. I think it's very weird.

Why waste the best productive years of your life sitting on your backside getting fat from Bellamys being paid the same as someone of the quality of former McGillicudy Serious Member Metiria Turei and less than Parekura Horomia?

I am suspicious of the motives of ALL these young candidates. So using their own words lets profile some of our VRWC blogger favourites from the Labour Party (National to follow - and can add more here if you request and send me details of weblink - Labour do not have a candidates page up yet).

Ladies and Gentlemen - THESE are the next generation of potential MP's wishing to push their agendas and views on to you. THESE are the people who

THINK THEY KNOW HOW TO RUN YOUR LIFE AND SPEND YOUR MONEY BETTER THAN YOU DO

Be Scared - you will find under their padded CV's most have little experience in anything other than sipping coffees, eating club sandwiches and being on Committees waiting for their mates to get them public sector jobs paid for by you.

Jordan Carter
Age 29



Carter was born in Vancouver, but grew up in southern Auckland (Manurewa), and lived in Wellington after completing degrees at the University of Auckland (economics, geography and political science). He has been active in the Labour Party since 1998, holding a range of roles at the local, regional and national level. He currently sits on the party’s governing NZ Council representing Labour’s gay and lesbian Rainbow sector, and is a member of the party’s Policy Council. Earlier positions included being President of Young Labour 2001-2003, and the chair of the party’s famous Princes St branch at the University of Auckland 1999-2001.

All this means is that Jordan was not born in New Zealand, has been a member of Labour since he was at University where he spent a hell of a lot of his time, is gay and has been involved in student politics. This makes him as unique as a seat on a Link bus.

Jordan has spent some time overseas, doing internships in the UK Government (in 2004) and at the European Parliament in Brussels (in 2007). He enjoys travel, music, wine and food, and tries (but usually fails) to follow national teams in the more popular sports.

This means that Jordan grease poled the Labour hierarchy enough for them to arrange to send him to UK and Brussels to the EU. An opportunity available to any young political activist depending on the government of the day but look smashing on the CV shuffling paper in an overseas Parliament. Jordan enjoys travel, well who doesn't when the taxpayers are paying for it, and eating.

Jordan has a career in the information technology industries where he has worked for the past five years. He is currently Deputy Executive Director of InternetNZ, a non-profit organisation based in Wellington that manages New Zealand’s domain name system and advocates a better Internet for everyone in New Zealand.

Jordan seems to have never worked for any organisation or business that actually makes what funds all his socialist policy leanings - money. He has never had a job or held a position that is accountable for profit and prudent spending. Never taken any risk with a business of his own. Has always relied on personal contacts to get employment.

Jordan Carter is an Auckland-based political activist, who has been selected as Labour’s candidate in Hunua for the 2008 General Election. He believes in a fairer, more prosperous New Zealand for everyone.

Despite working in Wellington, Jordan is an "Auckland-based political activist". Lets hope the taxpayer isn't already funding his airfares.

Prediction if elected:- Will get fat on his love of free wine and food, turn into the next Minister of Wine and Food (ex Jojo Hunt) and become Labour's answer to a Maurice Williamson as the irritating guy who thinks he knows everything about computers. Unlikely to be allowed near Trade or Finance portfolio after his comments "I wouldn’t go into business if my life depended on it. I find trade immoral.”, neither Education or Health with his comments "You're a fucking retard aren't you?".

Kate Sutton
Age 27

Kate has a strong relationship with the University of Auckland. In 2004 she graduated with her Master of Arts with a politics major, and in that year she was also President of the Auckland University Students Association. Since late 2004 Kate has been the representative elected by Alumni on the University of Auckland Council.

See Jordan Carter's profile. Can't keep their hands away from Student Union fees.

Kate is the Women's Vice President of the New Zealand Labour Party, a senior position on the party's board of governors. She has also been the Women's Representative and International Secretary for Young Labour. As International Secretary Kate organised and was a participant in trips to Denmark and Spain to meet and work with other young social democrats.

More political appointments based on the previous thin-air of sitting on another Committee. Kate is of course a minority in Labour's talent pool. A white straight female with a presentable professional boyfriend.

In 2007 Kate was awarded a prestigious award to attend the 10th Commonwealth Study conference. The conference, which was held in Dehli, India, brought together young leaders aged 25-40 from Government, Industry, Unions and the NGO sector. During the conference Kate got to work with people from across the Commonwealth (now THERE's a surprise) and travelled to Sabah in Malaysian Borneo to experience the culture there. Kate was the youngest participant at the conference and was selected to represent New Zealand, with four other New Zealanders (so not that prestigious), from hundreds of applicants.

Note that the more that these candidates have to write about themselves, it is to pad out the fact they haven't actually achieved a hell of a lot. "Kate went to a conference in India" would have covered the achievement rather nicely.

Kate worked for the City of Manukau Education trust. Kate's work at the trust was as a project manager for the Manukau Youth Transitions Service. Kate managed 5 staff whose job it was to place young school leavers, mainly of Maori and Pacific Island descent, into further study, employment or back to school. At COMET Kate also developed and managed an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) project that connected funding from IBM with Pacifika Early Childhood centres in Manukau.

One can bet that all this was incredibly mentally taxing. COMET is a Charitable Trust. Once again, spending of others money with little accountability. This time of course mopping up the mess that ironically Labour have had 9 years to deal with.

Kate was first elected to the community board in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007. Kate was brought up in Tamaki and has a strong connection with the area. (That explains then why she is standing in Epsom). As Chair of the Community Board she spends time working in Glen Innes, Panmure, Mt Wellington and Otahuhu to make sure that community voices are heard at council.

Hold that thought.

During the working week Kate works for Landco Land Developments as their Public Affairs and Corporate Social responsibility manager. In this role Kate works with the City Council, communities and key stakeholders, manages Landco's sponsorship programme and works with staff to connect them to the community and public sector. Kate also has a particular interest in sustainability and works within Landco to develop sustainability strategies for Landco's projects.

So Kate has (very briefly) been employed by a private sector corporate (owned in large part by "rich pricks" the Todd Group, one Director Brett Sutton) to talk to her mates in Council and fluff over the fact that this corporate actually has social responsibility despite being a land developer.

In 2006 Kate had this to say about a Landco development:

Kate Sutton, chairwoman of the Tamaki community board, said Stonefields was suitable for the developer's plans but it might be a bit "fluffy" to locals, known for a down-to-earth approach.

Several months later she was working for these same people.

Kate's career and experience thus far is spending 2 years at a Charitable Trust COMET and less than a year at private sector Landco and 3 years on a Community Board.

Prediction if elected:-Will struggle under the sheer weight of having a job where the media hold her accountable. Likely to break out in embarrassing cries for lower student fees and student allowances and interest (and principal) free loans - forgetting that Labour's had 9 years to improve the situation and did nothing that she actually liked. Probably won't get any portfolio duties to do with vegetables or fruit. Or race relations with her outburst “pakeha vote for white candidates with names they can pronounce”. With Hide and Worth far easier to spell and pronounce than Sutton, has no chance in Epsom.

Tony Milne
Age 27



Not officially a candidate yet, but won't be able to help himself as he's stood unsuccessfully for Labour twice before - before the age of 26.

Tony worked in Parliament for three years and helped co-ordinate a major New Zealand-wide campaign for the controversial Civil Union legislation which passed in 2004.

One issue wonder. Like the other seats of the Link Bus, Tony is not that unique in the Labour Party.

He currently works with key community groups in Christchurch on behalf of the Canterbury Labour MPs, four of whom are Ministers. Tony recently became New Zealand’s youngest Justice of the Peace (JP) (busy body know-it-all wanna-be lawyers) and is a member of and holds governance positions on several community and voluntary sector organisations.

That Tony has bothered to become a JP says it all really about the desperation for status in the community that this young man has.

From 2001-2004, after completing an assistance certificate in youth work, Tony worked part-time as a youth worker at the 198 Youth Health Centre providing peer support, sexual health promotion and education and doing pregnancy tests.

Words fail me as to how this is substantial enough to put on a CV.

Prediction if elected:- Disturbingly would be as qualified as Darren Hughes to be an MP. Well, academically actually more and his work experience matches Darren's of getting cups of tea for the high achieving academic wizard that was Judy Keall from 1999-2002.

Conor Roberts
Age 27



Mr Roberts grew up on the Kapiti Coast and moved to Auckland to study at the University of Auckland. He has been the president of Young Labour and was co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations.

Wow. He's on the Link Bus seat uniqueness tour as well.

Conor has his website up but there's no profile up yet (surely a PR person would have sorted this by now) so the best we have done so far:

Conor has been active in the Labour Party for a number of years and was president of Young Labour during the last election campaign. He is currently seeking a place on Labour’s party list and is a first time candidate for the Rodney electorate. He has worked as the co-president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations and has been the student representative on the University of Auckland’s governing council.

Conor has wide policy interests including education, welfare, economic development, climate change and foreign affairs. He is interested in making democracy more relevant and engaging for young people and developing New Zealand’s constitution.

Just what the world needs - another policy wonk whose never actually worked long enough in the private sector to know anything about how business works - where the biggest impact of crazy policy is felt.

Conor has only been at his actual job in PR since March 2007. Before that it appears he did nothing but hang out at University and go on the recent junket Young Parliamentary Group. If he did actually do something, being in PR we would expect him to have actually told us or at least attempted to lie about it properly like the others have. Conor is obviously a novice in the area of blowing his own trumpet, that or he's never going to be any good in PR at all.

Prediction if elected:- Obviously not very good at self-promotion and bullshit. Limited career opportunity either in PR or within the Labour Party. QUANGO position awaits.