David Shearer | |
|---|---|
 Shearer in theMount Albert electorate, May 2009 | |
| Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan | |
| In office 1 January 2017 – 15 January 2021 | |
| Secretary-General | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Ellen Margrethe Løj |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Haysom |
| 33rdLeader of the Opposition | |
| In office 13 December 2011 – 15 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Deputy | Grant Robertson |
| Preceded by | Phil Goff |
| Succeeded by | David Cunliffe |
| 14thLeader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 13 December 2011 – 15 September 2013 | |
| Deputy | Grant Robertson |
| Preceded by | Phil Goff |
| Succeeded by | David Cunliffe |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forMount Albert | |
| In office 13 June 2009 – 31 December 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Helen Clark |
| Succeeded by | Jacinda Ardern |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David James Shearer (1957-07-28)28 July 1957 (age 68) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Party | Labour |
| Spouse | Anuschka Meyer |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland University of Canterbury |
| Occupation | Politician, humanitarian worker |
| Signature |  |
David James ShearerMBE (born 28 July 1957) is a New ZealandUnited Nations worker and politician. He was a member of theNew Zealand Parliament for theLabour Party from 2009 to 2016, serving asLeader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013.
Shearer spent nearly 20 years working for the UN, managing the provision of aid to countries includingSomalia,Rwanda,Liberia,Kosovo,Afghanistan,Lebanon andIraq.[1] In 1992, Shearer was (together with his wife) named as New Zealander of the Year byThe New Zealand Herald.[2] On 13 June 2009 he won theMount Albert by-election and entered theHouse of Representatives. He was elected asleader of the Labour Party on 13 December 2011 but resigned on 15 September 2013, being succeeded byDavid Cunliffe.
Shearer resigned from Parliament in December 2016 and in 2017 was appointed to head theUnited Nations peace keeping mission in South Sudan.[3] In January 2021, he was succeeded in the role byNicholas Haysom.
Shearer was born and brought up in theAuckland suburb ofPapatoetoe. He was the eldest of three children in a family of schoolteachers. His father being a Presbyterian elder, he was a church-goer in his youth.[4] He attendedPapatoetoe High School, where he was head boy andPhil Goff was a friend.[2] He graduated from theUniversity of Auckland with a BSc and theUniversity of Canterbury with a MSc (Hons) inResource Management.[1][5] From 1983 to 1987 he was a teacher atMassey High School andOnehunga High School.[1]
Shearer has conducted various assignments with theInternational Institute for Strategic Studies, theSave the Children Fund, and theInternational Crisis Group, and is the author of numerous publications in the areas of humanitarian affairs and conflict resolution.[6]
Between 1987 and 1989 he was a consultant for theTainui Trust Board assisting with the preparation of its land claims to theWaitangi 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 inLiberia.[6] From 1999 Shearer served in various UN posts including DeputyHumanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations inRwanda, Senior Humanitarian Adviser inAlbania and Chief of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs inBelgrade.[6] Shearer left the United Nations to work as an adviser to theMinister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,Phil Goff for two years.
In 2002 Shearer returned to the United Nations, serving as a Senior Adviser to theUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.[6] In February 2003 Shearer was appointed head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs inJerusalem.[6] During theconflict inLebanon in 2006 he served as the Humanitarian Coordinator organising assistance for civilians caught up in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.[7]
In 2007 Shearer was appointed by theUnited Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon as his DeputySpecial Representative (Humanitarian, Reconstruction and Development) forIraq.[6] While in Iraq, Shearer also served as the United NationsResident 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]
In March 2013 Shearer admitted he had not declared a US-based bank account in which he received his salary from the UN, saying he had simply forgotten about it.[8]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2011 | 49th | Mount Albert | Labour | ||
| 2011–2014 | 50th | Mount Albert | 31 | Labour | |
| 2014–2016 | 51st | Mount Albert | 13 | Labour | |
Before his election as a Member of Parliament Shearer had twice previously stood for the Labour party: in1999 he stood as a list-only candidate and in2002 he unsuccessfully contested theWhangārei electorate.[9] In May 2009 he returned to New Zealand and won the Labour Party nomination forMount Albert against seven other candidates.[10] He then won the2009 Mt Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 with 13,260 votes, a majority of 9,718 over National'sMelissa Lee.[11] Shearer extended his majority over Lee to 10,021 in the2011 general election.[12] In the 2014 general election, Shearer further extended his majority over Lee to 10,656.[13]
In December 2011, following the resignation ofPhil Goff, Shearer contested for leadership of the Labour Party. His opponents wereDavid Cunliffe andDavid Parker. Shearer was viewed as unlikely to win the election; Claire Trevett ofThe New Zealand Herald originally expected that only Cunliffe and Parker would run for the leader's role,[14] andThe Dominion Post's Vernon Small wrote that "Mr Shearer's bid is seen as a way to lift his profile".[15] On 9 December, Horizon Research released a demographically weighted survey which found that 35.4% of adult New Zealanders supported Shearer's bid for the leadership, and 19.9% backed Cunliffe.[16]
On 13 December, Shearer was elected by the Labourcaucus. BothOne News' Espiner and3 News reported that Shearer received about twenty-two of the thirty-four votes for the leadership position;[17][18] however, Party PresidentMoira Coatsworth stipulated that the election wassecret and that she was the only person who had access to the ballot papers, which were destroyed.[19]
Grant Robertson won election as Shearer'sdeputy.[20]
Political commentators opined that Shearer was moving the Labour Party towards thecentre.[21] Polls suggested that his performance as leader was rated unfavourably with the public, and he had poorname recognition. He was described as "the invisible man of New Zealand politics".[22]
In November 2012 during a Labour Party conference, media speculation suggested that Cunliffe, who was then economic development spokesperson, would launch a challenge against Shearer for leadership of the party.[23] 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 Shearer when he faces a formal confidence vote in February 2013. Media speculation about Cunliffe's intentions marred Shearer's first 12 months as leader.[24] Labour MPs unanimously endorsed leader Shearer at the annual conference, and Shearer subsequently demoted Cunliffe from thefront bench.[25]
During Shearer's leadership the Labour Party floated a controversial proposed policy of not considering males for candidate selection. Dubbed the "man ban", the policy was to ensure that 50% of Labour MPs were female by 2017 and allowed local electorate committees to holdall-women shortlists to reach this goal.[26] The policy received backlash with many Labour members (including women) being opposed thinking it discriminatory.[27] After initially remaining silent on the policy, Shearer publicly stated his opposition to the "man ban", noting he was supportive of more women in parliament but the policy was not the right mechanism for it. The policy was subsequently discarded.[26]
Shearer continued to face dissent within the party caucus. On 20 August 2013, a stunt involving Shearer holding up two dead snapper in Parliament, while questioning the Government about proposed changes to recreational fishing management, was not well received.[28][29][30] He announced his resignation as Labour leader on 22 August 2013, stating that: "My sense is I no longer have the full confidence of many of my caucus colleagues".[31][9] Following a party-wideleadership election, Cunliffe was elected Shearer's successor over Deputy Leader Robertson.[32]
Cunliffe appointed Shearer tohis Shadow Cabinet as spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and also Energy and Resources.[33]
Labour lost the 2014 general election and Cunliffe was replaced as leader byAndrew Little, who reappointed Shearer as Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson.[34] On 8 December 2016 Shearer announced he would resign from Parliament after being chosen to head theUnited Nations Mission in South Sudan by United Nations Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon,[35] replacing DaneEllen Margrethe Løj.[36] His resignation forced aby-election in theMount Albert electorate, which was won by list MPJacinda Ardern, who would go on to lead Labour to victory at the2017 general election.
In 1992, Shearer, and his wife Anuschka Meyer, were named theNew Zealanders of the Year byThe New Zealand Herald after running one of the biggest aid camps inSomalia.[2][37]
In the1993 New Year Honours, Shearer was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire, for welfare services to children in Somalia.[38] In 1994, he was awardedSave the Children's international Award for Gallantry for service in areas of conflict.[39] In 2023, Shearer was conferred an honoraryDoctor of Commerce degree byLincoln University.[40]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Mount Albert 2009–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Labour Party 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
