What I care most about

My biggest driver in politics is working to develop an economy where everyone gets a fair share, and where we are building the industries and sectors that will leave us more prosperous in every way.

That means higher wages, better stewardship of the environment, and new sources of economic dynamism and growth in the high technology and export sectors.

My background is in the ICT area. I worked for a non-government organisation called InternetNZ until earlier this year as policy director, seeking out solutions to the barriers New Zealand faces in taking advantage of all the Internet can offer to making this a better place to live.

That work experience has given me exposure to policy ideas for how to do that – both from New Zealand and from around the world. It has also left me with good networks in the business sector that I can draw on to explain Labour’s story and plan for the future.

I’m interested in most areas of policy, with a particular focus on how we build a sustainable economy that drives greater fairness and less inequality. Housing and education policy are also areas of particular interest, as well as the information and communications area where I have professional expertise.

Where I come from

I was born in Vancouver, Canada, but grew up in the south Auckland suburb of Manurewa. Attending Auckland University, I graduated with degrees in economics and geography, and moved to Wellington at the end of 2001.

The experience of growing up in South Auckland during the 1990s is the reason I am in the Labour Party. The right wing forces in New Zealand society have never cared about the effects of their policies on families and communities like mine. They never will, and that is why we need a strong Labour led government.

As someone born overseas, and as a proud member of Labour’s group of Rainbow candidates, I bring to politics and to my understanding of New Zealand society the perspective of an outsider on some key fronts, by birth and by sexuality, as well as that of an insider (being a middle class Pakeha male with a professional job).

Today I live in downtown Wellington, where I try to keep up with going to the gym, completing my master’s degree part time, Labour Party work, a busy job and spending time around town and the outdoors with friends and family.

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