News

Introducing Dr David Clark, the next Labour Party candidate for Dunedin North. Taking over from Pete Hodgson, his is a face you will probably become quite familiar with come November. For, together with the Rugby World Cup, 2011 is also an election year. Originally from Auckland but having lived in Dunedin for eleven years (on and off), Clark is strongly tied to the community here. With quite an interesting background - he's got a PhD in existentialist philosophy/theology – he worked as a Presbyterian minister for a couple of years and now spends his time as warden of Selwyn. He can fill you in from here.
What is your background Dr Clark? Where do you come from?
After my PhD, I went straight to the Treasury and in the Treasury I worked in family, Maori and youth policy. Then I went and worked on tertiary education policy. I was on a project with three or four other people who were sent away for nine months to redesign the tertiary education sector in a blue skies project. You’ve got $10 billion to spend and it’s up to you to decide how you would spend it.
 

In saying that, what makes you the best person for the job?
I'd like to think it’s the set of values that I have. I like to describe these as core Labour values; a concern for those who are less well off and making sure that everyone has a fair go. One of the reasons why I am getting involved in politics is because I am really concerned with the growing gap between rich and poor. I want to see that gap narrowed and I want to see those people lifted up.

 
What key policies would you like to see implemented to achieve these goals?
The Labour Party has signalled that they will make the first $5000 you earn a tax-free zone. I think this is an excellent policy and over time I would like to see that increased. It’s a way of ensuring that everyone has some income protected. I guess anything that National is threatening to roll back right now, like Working for Families and interest-free loans. If you know your history, you will know that generally under Labour things get better for students and for people from more difficult backgrounds. Under National, things tend to get worse for those people. It is simple history.
 

The Labour Party caucus were in Dunedin last week, what is your opinion of the Darren Hughes affair?
I think, unfortunately, it has presented quite a distraction to the media and to the party as a whole. It is one of those things, particularly where Darren is concerned, where justice needs to take its course. I have a begrudging respect for those who ran that politics because, at that time, what happened was possibly the most controversial legislation of recent history; the replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation was let through. They really reached fever pitch on the day the legislation went through. There was really no critical reporting in our mainstream media about the replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and the Coastal Marine Act.

 
What was your personal opinion of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation?
I think it’s going to block up our court system. I think Maori are going to be angry when they realise that it's a situation where some have a legitimate greivance and they will have to queue up again. That is essentially what is being made to happen. I don't know that they'll be particularly happy. I think it has been steered away from decent public debate so even people on the right of politics who are more reactionary are stirred up as well. The Act Party, who would claim to be a property rights party, have taken a non-property rights stance on it. There is a bit of mess going on there and my real fear is that it is not an enduring solution. I think they should have taken a longer time to get it right.

 
As the second largest centre in the South Island, what do you see as the effects that the recent earthquake in Christchurch will have on Dunedin?
I think there are some real positives in terms of community building, in terms of the silver lining. It is a long, hard road for the Christchurch people. There are going to be wider social consequences which I think are going to be really unfortunate for our country, but I also think that there will be some small benefits in terms of businesses relocating here and we have seen some evidence for that. We have seen some connections being made that will hopefully be good for Christchurch and Dunedin in the longer term.
 

As a general comment about the Labour Party going forward this year, what needs to happen come election day?
MMP makes anything possible. It is going to be an uphill battle. John Key has proven to be a very popular prime minister, but we have seen times when he said that living on a benefit was a lifestyle choice. People are beginning to become a little more impatient, I think, they want to see real runs on the board and they are feeling the effects of prices running faster than wages and that's being happening for a while. People are feeling the crunch. I think in an election cycle it happens; people give them a period of grace and we are just starting to see a bit more impatience that the government has not moved to make the economy a more viable prospect. More than that, National hasn't presented a vision of how it should be. People are willing to endure hardship if they can see a vision at the end of it and I don't think John Key has presented that vision.