Davis firmly in deputy PM frame
WELLINGTON: The next government is beginning to take shape even though Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Green coleaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson are staying mum on the substance of their talks.
The role of deputy prime minister appears to be there for Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis’ taking, but he, too, is also giving little away.
Formal talks between Labour and the Greens are likely to run into next week, and a new government is expected to be sworn in the following week.
And while neither side will be drawn on the chances of a formal coalition, it seems unlikely given Ms Ardern’s comments about Labour’s mandate to govern alone and her wish to respect National supporters who may have ticked red for the first time.
That indicated a government unwilling to go as far or as fast as the Greens wanted on climate change, biodiversity protection and inequality, Ms Davidson conceded.
Mr Shaw was more diplomatic.
‘‘We’re in that funny stage postelection where everybody’s trying to read tea leaves in absolutely everything that anybody says,’’ he said.
‘‘We just don’t have any comment about the nature of the negotiations until they’re actually done.’’
Ms Ardern said she expected any governing arrangement with the Greens to be announced next week after negotiations concluded.
‘‘I’m interested in areas of cooperation where we can use the strengths that exist in their team,’’ Ms Ardern said.
That could indicate Mr Shaw remaining climate change minister, though he would not comment on the possibility of any ministerial roles.
Ms Ardern repeated her support for the deputy PM role to be filled by the party’s deputy leader, which is determined by Labour’s caucus.
Many caucus colleagues offered support for Mr Davis taking the deputy’s role, but when asked about it yesterday, Mr Davis had little to say.
‘‘Any decision around roles and responsibilities are yet to be made. Really, that’s all I’m going to say about it,’’ he said.
Willie Jackson, who cochairs Labour’s Maori caucus, said the caucus supported Mr Davis no matter what he decided.
He rejected the idea there
would be a backlash from Maori if Mr Davis, the MP for Te Tai Tokerau and Minister for Maori Crown Relations, did not want the position.
‘‘There’s no slap in the face because there’s only been support for Kelvin and for the Maori
caucus at this time,’’ Mr Jackson said.
But Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little said ‘‘it would not be received positively’’ if someone other than Mr Davis took the role.
‘‘He is a very solid, very hard worker and we have a very diverse caucus and he would be an excellent deputy prime minister,’’ Mr Little said. — The New Zealand Herald
WELLINGTON: While there are only 14,000 practising lawyers in New Zealand, the 120member Parliament will include 20 current or former practitioners — and that could rise to 21 if Labour takes Whangarei after special votes are counted.
To put it another way, that is just under 20% of the total intake.
No other profession comes close to supplying so many politicians.
This group includes Judith Collins, who retains her practising certificate, Andrew Little, David Parker and Simon Bridges, while outgoing deputy prime minister Winston Peters also has a legal background.
They are following a fine tradition. Six past prime ministers have come from the legal profession, as well as two acting prime ministers.
So why exactly do lawyers stand as candidates and is it necessarily a good thing?
University of Auckland legal academic Associate Prof Tim Kuhner said there were some attributes practitioners could bring to Parliament.
‘‘A legal education is a great thing for any MP to have. Understanding the core norms and values of our representative system of government/constitutional monarchy, understanding the operation of contracts, property, constitutional law, torts, international law, alternative dispute resolution and so on, would facilitate a much more sophisticated and empowered handling of most policy issues I can fathom,’’ he said.
‘‘So, in general, it should be a very good thing to have more lawyers in Parliament.’’
Sometimes lawyersturnedMPs could fail to grasp the historical, sociological, psychological and other dimensions of policy issues, and instead focus purely on legal means to solve problems, he said.
One of National’s survivors from Saturday’s election, Chris Penk, became a lawyer after a career in the Australian navy as a submariner.
Mr Penk, who held Kaipara ki Mahurangi with a muchreduced majority, said lawyers had traditionally been involved in politics to a disproportionately high level, ‘‘which is understandable for a number of reasons’’.
‘‘Certain skills are needed to succeed in both spheres, such as advocacy and good communications, and a working knowledge of the legislative process and statutory interpretation,’’ Mr Penk told the New Zealand Law Society before the election.
Wellington lawyer Teall Crossen, who was two spots away from being elected for the Green Party at the weekend, said her motivation for standing at the last two elections was down to using her skills to pursue climate justice.
‘‘My experience as an environmental lawyer at the United Nations, and climate change negotiations, as well as working in Aotearoa on local conservation issues, equips me with an ability to understand different perspectives and negotiate constructive and enduring outcomes that benefit people and nature,’’ she said.
Auckland University politics and public policy professor Jennifer Curtin backed up Mr Penk’s observations on the capabilities of lawyers in terms of drawing up laws.
She said there was a long tradition of lawyers and the legislature being connected.
‘‘As higher education numbers increased, and law schools proliferated, there has been a significant growth in the number of lawyers graduating and, given the legislature is where laws are made, it is perhaps unsurprising that we see so many gravitate towards a profession in politics,’’ she said.
She questioned whether the numbers of lawyers in Parliament was disproportionate, noting while eight of the 17 ministers in Sidney Holland’s 1949 cabinet were lawyers, numbers had fluctuated since; the average was three out of about 25 ministers.
‘‘New Zealand’s percentage is not as high as Australia’s, which at times has reached close to onequarter.
‘‘In the UK it commonly sits at around 15%, with business being close to the same percentage,’’ Prof Curtin said.
The Labour Party has the most legal professionals in its new caucus, 14, followed by National (four), and the Greens (two).
The total number of lawyers — whether still practising or not — who stood in the election was 41, stretching across the entire political spectrum. — RNZ