MPs looking forward to happier party
TURMOIL was the theme last time the Labour Party held its annual conference in Dunedin, but the city’s Labour MPs expect next weekend’s event to be triumphant.
‘‘I sense a real momentum in the party and across the country,’’ Dunedin North MP David Clark said.
‘‘The mood is upbeat and there is a sense we are making changes for the better for New Zealand.’’
Labour’s last annual conference in Dunedin, in 1988, was a tumultuous affair, including a contested election for presidency of the party, a split over asset sales, and stormy demonstrations.
Dunedin South MP Clare Curran said that conference was wellremembered in Labour circles, and for some years she had been keen for a happier party gathering to be held in Dunedin.
‘‘I want people to remember a Dunedin conference for different reasons, for triumphant and exciting reasons,’’ she said.
The campaign to bring the conference dates back two years, when Ms Curran and Dr Clark deployed a piper and a soundtrack by The Chills to push Dunedin’s claims.
‘‘We won handsdown . . . so many things have happened since then, and it just feels right,’’ Ms Curran said.
Next weekend’s conference follows hard on the heels of the first anniversary of Labour leader Jacinda Ardern becoming Prime Minister.
Dunedin’s two Labour MPs have endured mixed fortunes since.
Dr Clark, who was named Health Minister, said being able to drive the rebuild of Dunedin Hospital had been a high, but funding rows and contentious pay disputes have been confronting.
Ms Curran, meanwhile, has had a tumultuous year — being elected to Cabinet, but in August she endured a very public fall when she resigned after failing to diary possibly politically sensitive meetings.
‘‘We’re in government — that’s the important thing,’’ Ms Curran said.
‘‘We can’t make all the changes that are needed immediately — housing and health are still the issues people come through my door to talk about — but changes are starting to be fulfilled, although we still have an awful lot to do.’’
Ms Curran said she was concerned some commentators were attempting to define MPs as a breed apart, when they were in fact representative of the community.
‘‘That’s extraordinarily dangerous and wrong, because we’re not — we’re not anything different,’’ she said.
‘‘We want people to represent, because that is what democracy is supposed to be.’’
It is a political cliche that the worst day in government was still better than the best day in opposition, and the past year had shown that was true, Dr Clark said.
‘‘To campaign on issues and then be in opposition and see those things frustrated further is frustrating, whereas in gov ernment you are part of seeing positive and progressive change.
‘‘Even though I understand the important constitutional role of opposition, I’m glad it’s not me.’’
The Labour Party conference will be held in the Dunedin Town Hall from November 2 to 4. Ms Ardern will give her leader’s address on Sunday afternoon.