David Shearer
David Shearer MBE MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 33rd Leader of the Opposition | |
| Assumed office 13 December 2011 | |
| Deputy | Grant Robertson |
| Preceded by | Phil Goff |
| 13th Leader of the Labour Party | |
| Assumed office 13 December 2011 | |
| Deputy | Grant Robertson |
| Preceded by | Phil Goff |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Mount Albert | |
| Assumed office 13 June 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Helen Clark |
| Majority | 10,021 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 28, 1957 Auckland |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | New Zealand Labour Party |
David James Shearer, MBE (born 28 July 1957) is New Zealand politician and former humanitarian worker. He spent nearly 20 years providing aid to civilians in some of the world's worst war zones including Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq.[1] In 1992 Shearer was named (together with his wife) as New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald.[2] The following year he was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the British New Years Honours list.[1] In 2009 he won the Mount Albert by-election becoming a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand for the Labour Party. In 2011 he was appointed Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party.
Early life
Shearer was born and brought up in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe. He was the elder of three kids in a family of schoolteachers. His father being a Presbyterian elder, he was a church-goer in his youth.[3] He attended Papatoetoe High School, where he was head boy and developed a friendship with Phil Goff.[2] He then graduated from the University of Auckland with a BSc and the University of Canterbury with a MSc (Hons) in Resource Management.[4] Between 1983 to 1987 he was a teacher at Massey High School and Onehunga High School.[4] After standing as a list candidate for Labour in 1999, Mr Shearer made his second attempt to get into Parliament in 2002 by putting himself forward as a candidate for Whangarei. He lost the seat to National's Phil Heatley and was too lowly ranked at 45 on Labour's list to get in as a list candidate.[2]
Public service career
Shearer has conducted various assignments with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Save the Children Fund, and the International Crisis Group, and is the author of numerous publications in the areas of humanitarian affairs and conflict resolution.[5]
Between 1987 and 1989 he was a consultant for the Tainui Trust Board assisting with the preparation of its land claims to the Waitangi Tribunal. In 1989 he was appointed as UN Co-ordinator for Humanitarian Operations in Africa and the Balkans and served as head of the Save the Children Fund in Rwanda, Somalia, Northern Iraq and Sri Lanka.[1] In 1995 he served as the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Adviser in Liberia.[5] From 1999 Shearer served in various UN posts including Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Rwanda, Senior Humanitarian Adviser in Albania and Chief of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Belgrade.[5] He then left the United Nations to work as an adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Phil Goff for two years.
In 2002 Shearer returned to the United Nations, serving as a Senior Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.[5] In February 2003 Shearer was appointed head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem.[5] During the conflict in Lebanon in 2006 he served as the Humanitarian Coordinator organising assistance for civilians caught up in the conflict between Israeli and Lebanon.[6]
In 2007 Shearer was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his Deputy Special Representative (Humanitarian, Reconstruction and Development) for Iraq.[5] While in Iraq Shearer also served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Humanitarian Coordinator. In this role he was responsible for managing over $2 billion in aid for developmental projects for 16 different UN agencies.[1]
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2011 | 49th | Mt Albert | Labour | ||
| 2011–present | 50th | Mt Albert | 31 | Labour | |
Before his election as a Member of Parliament Shearer had twice previously stood for the Labour party: in 1999 he stood as a list-only candidate and in 2002 he unsuccessfully contested Whangarei. In May 2009 he returned to New Zealand and won the Labour Party nomination for Mt. Albert against seven other candidates.[7] He then won the 2009 Mt Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 with 13,260 votes, a majority of 9,718 over National's Melissa Lee.[8] Shearer extended his majority over Lee to 10,021 in the 2011 general election.[9]
On 13 December 2011, following the resignation of Phil Goff, the Labour Party's caucus elected Shearer as the new leader of the party over David Cunliffe. Grant Robertson won election as Shearer's deputy.[10]
Speculation over Party leadership
In November 2012 during a Labour Party conference, media speculation suggested that economic-development spokesperson Cunliffe would launch a challenge against Shearer for leadership of the party.[11] On the morning of 19 November Cunliffe confirmed he was not challenging Shearer, and would indeed back him if a vote was taken. However, he also said he would not commit to supporting Mr Shearer when he faces a formal confidence vote in February 2013. Media speculation about Cunliffe's intentions marred Mr Shearer's first 12 months as leader.[12] Labour MPs unanimously endorsed leader Shearer at the annual caucus, and Shearer subsequently demoted Cunliffe from the front bench.[13]
Personal achievements
In 1992 Shearer, and his wife Anuschka Meyer, were named the New Zealanders of the Year by the New Zealand Herald after running one of the biggest aid camps in Somalia.[2]
In New Years Honours List 1993 of Great Britain Shearer was appointed as a member of The Order of the British Empire For welfare services to children in Somalia.[4][14] In 1994 he was awarded Save the Children's international Award for Gallantry for service in areas of conflict.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d David Shearer CV posted on Scoop
- ^ a b c d Gower, Patrick (23 April 2009). "UN 'special guy' eyes Mt Albert seat". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ "The world according to David Shearer", Stuff.co.nz, 17-12-2011
- ^ a b c David Shearer C.V. Scoop.co.nz
- ^ a b c d e f SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS DAVID Shearer Of New ZeAland Department of Public Information, News and Media Division, 2007
- ^ Interview with David Shearer, UN Humanitarian Coordinator IRIN, 23 August 2006
- ^ Field, Michael (3 May 2009). "David Shearer Labour's man in Mt Albert". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Anna Rushworth and Nicola Shepheard (14 June 2009). "Shearer defends 'fortress' for Labour". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Official Count Results -- Mt Albert". Electoral Commission. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ "Shearer, Robertson new Labour leaders". 3 News. MediaWorks New Zealand. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ^ "Labour's Shearer still under pressure". 3 News NZ. 18 November 2012.
- ^ "Cunliffe: I'm backing Shearer". 3 News NZ. 19 November 2012.
- ^ Labour MPs vote for Shearer; Cunliffe demoted
- ^ "No. 53153". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 30 December 1992.
- ^ [1] David Shearer Biography
External links
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