MP’s financial goals are simple
Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran tells Tom Pullar-Strecker she’d like to see New Zealanders take on less debt.
grew up with a very strong work ethic and have always belonged to a union and am keen to pass that ethic on to my children. Were you well paid before becoming a MP? For the six years before I became an MP I ran my own small communications consultancy with my then partner, based in Dunedin. It had nationwide and Australian clients based around social justice issues, often for organisations which don’t have much money. It didn’t make us millions, but it was a steadily growing niche business. Before that I worked as a communications consultant in Australia and for the Australian Council of Trade Unions for a long time. I earned a decent wage, though significantly less than politicians. The money is not what motivates me. I guess all politicians say that. But when I step away from politics it will be to continue the work that I’m passionate about; making people’s voices heard and making change happen. Earning a decent wage is an important part of that. What’s your take on the right way to approach equality? We don’t need to all make the same amount of money, but all workers do need a strong platform of basic standards, including a decent minimum wage, the right to negotiate collectively, health and safety protections, a living wage, as well as adequate holidays, rest breaks, and redundancy provisions. While these protections are often seen as hallmarks of a civilised society, they don’t come automatically and recent history has shown governments unfavourable to workers can strip these protections faster than progressive governments can put them in place. I have a view that our society could place more value on the concept of work. Do you think Kiwis have a healthy attitude to money? Compared to other western countries, Kiwis are fairly modest consumers and happy with a simpler lifestyle. I think that’s healthy. I would like to see Kiwis save more and take on less personal debt, but that requires
‘I worked at weekends and after school as a cleaner for years.’
wages rising faster than prices and over the last few years we just haven’t seen that. Housing and electricity prices, in particular, have skyrocketed, leaving less money available for people to invest in diversified savings portfolios.I’ve been visiting my local foodbanks and they tell me that demand is rising steadily. Are you an active investor? One of the great things about Kiwisaver is that once you set it up and make some initial decisions, you can be really passive about the whole process. I don’t have the time or money to make active investing worth it, but most investment advice I’ve read says that angling to beat the market is a fool’s errand anyway. Just go for the appropriate mix of risk and minimise your fees. What was your best financial decision? Buying my first house. Scrimping, begging, borrowing from family to get the deposit together. I bought my first house in Brunswick, Melbourne, in the mid 1990s. And your biggest financial mistake? Relationship separation. Makes it hard on all parties financially. Do you expect being an MP will prove positive for you financially in the long run? Ha! For all the talk about ‘‘dirty politics’’ these days, I can tell you I’d be an idiot to be in this business for the money. There must be far easier ways to make a buck. I doubt being an MP has helped me financially in the long run, but it continues to be a fantastic experience, nonetheless.