David Shearer
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David James Shearer (born 28 July 1957) is a New Zealand
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
worker and politician. He was a member of the
New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...
for the Labour Party from 2009 to 2016, serving as
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
from 2011 to 2013. Shearer spent nearly 20 years working for the UN, managing the provision of aid to countries including
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
,
Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
,
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
,
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
and
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.David Shearer CV
posted on Scoop
In 1992, Shearer was (together with his wife) named as New Zealander of the Year by ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
''. On 13 June 2009 he won the Mount Albert by-election and entered the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
. He was elected as leader of the Labour Party on 13 December 2011 but resigned on 15 September 2013, being succeeded by
David Cunliffe David Richard Cunliffe (born 30 April 1963) is a New Zealand management consultant and former politician who was Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of the Opposition from September 2013 to ...
. Shearer resigned from Parliament in December 2016 and in 2017 was appointed to head the United Nations peace keeping mission in South Sudan. In January 2021, he was succeeded in the role by Nicholas Haysom.


Early life

Shearer was born and brought up in the
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
suburb of Papatoetoe. 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. He attended Papatoetoe High School, where he was head boy and Phil Goff was a friend. He graduated from the University of Auckland with a BSc and the University of Canterbury with a MSc (Hons) in
Resource Management In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective development of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include the financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or ...
. From 1983 to 1987 he was a teacher at Massey High School and Onehunga High School.


Public service and non-government organisation career

Shearer has conducted various assignments with the
International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an international research institute or think tank focusing on defence and security issues. Since 1997, its headquarters have been at Arundel House in London. It has offices on four co ...
, the Save the Children Fund, and the International Crisis Group, and is the author of numerous publications in the areas of humanitarian affairs and conflict resolution. Between 1987 and 1989 he was a consultant for the Tainui Trust Board assisting with the preparation of its land claims to the Waitangi 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. In 1995 he served as the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Adviser in
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
. From 1999 Shearer served in various UN posts including Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in
Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
, Senior Humanitarian Adviser in
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
and Chief of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. Shearer left the United Nations to work as an adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Phil Goff for two years. In 2002 Shearer returned to the United Nations, serving as a Senior Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. In February 2003 Shearer was appointed head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. During the conflict in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
in 2006 he served as the Humanitarian Coordinator organising assistance for civilians caught up in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. In 2007 Shearer was appointed by the
United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
Ban Ki-moon as his Deputy Special Representative (Humanitarian, Reconstruction and Development) for
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.Secretary-General appoints David Shearer of New Zealand
'' Department of Public Information, News and Media Division'', 2007
While in Iraq, Shearer also served as the United Nations Resident 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. 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.


Member of Parliament, 2009–2016

Before his election as a Member of Parliament Shearer had twice previously stood for the Labour party: in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
he stood as a list-only candidate and in
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
he unsuccessfully contested the Whangārei electorate. In May 2009 he returned to New Zealand and won the Labour Party nomination for Mount Albert against seven other candidates. He then won the 2009 Mt Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 with 13,260 votes, a majority of 9,718 over National's Melissa Lee. Shearer extended his majority over Lee to 10,021 in the 2011 general election. In the 2014 general election, Shearer further extended his majority over Lee to 10,656.


Labour Party leadership election, 2011

In December 2011, following the resignation of Phil Goff, Shearer contested for leadership of the Labour Party. His opponents were
David Cunliffe David Richard Cunliffe (born 30 April 1963) is a New Zealand management consultant and former politician who was Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of the Opposition from September 2013 to ...
and David Parker. Shearer was viewed as unlikely to win the election; Claire Trevett of ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
'' originally expected that only Cunliffe and Parker would run for the leader's role, and '' The Dominion Post'' Vernon Small wrote that "Mr Shearer's bid is seen as a way to lift his profile". 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. On 13 December, Shearer was elected by the Labour
caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...
. Both '' One News''' Espiner and '' 3 News'' reported that Shearer received about twenty-two of the thirty-four votes for the leadership position; however, Party President Moira Coatsworth stipulated that the election was secret and that she was the only person who had access to the ballot papers, which were destroyed. Grant Robertson won election as Shearer's deputy.


Leader of the Opposition, 2011–2013

Political commentators opined that Shearer was moving the Labour Party towards the centre. Polls suggested that his performance as leader was rated unfavourably with the public, and he had poor
name recognition In politics, name recognition is the ability a voter has to identify a candidate's name due to a certain amount of previous exposure through various campaigning methods. It can be described as the awareness voters have about specific candidates r ...
. He was described as "
the invisible man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...
of New Zealand politics". 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. 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. Labour MPs unanimously endorsed leader Shearer at the annual conference, and Shearer subsequently demoted Cunliffe from the front bench. 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 hold all-women shortlists to reach this goal. The policy received backlash with many Labour members (including women) being opposed thinking it discriminatory. 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. 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. 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". Following a party-wide leadership election, Cunliffe was elected Shearer's successor over Deputy Leader Robertson. Cunliffe appointed Shearer to his Shadow Cabinet as spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and also Energy and Resources.


Resignation from Parliament

Labour lost the 2014 general election and Cunliffe was replaced as leader by Andrew Little, who reappointed Shearer as Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson. On 8 December 2016 Shearer announced he would resign from Parliament after being chosen to head the United Nations Mission in South Sudan by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, replacing Dane Ellen Margrethe Løj. His resignation forced a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
in the electorate, which was won by list MP Jacinda Ardern, who would go on to lead Labour to victory at the 2017 general election.


Honours and awards

In 1992, Shearer, and his wife Anuschka Meyer, were named the New Zealanders of the Year by ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
'' after running one of the biggest aid camps in
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
. In the 1993 New Year Honours, Shearer was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for welfare services to children in Somalia. In 1994, he was awarded Save the Children's international Award for Gallantry for service in areas of conflict. In 2023, Shearer was conferred an honorary
Doctor of Commerce Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
degree by Lincoln University.


References


External links


Shearer's official website

Parliamentary website page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, David 1957 births Living people New Zealand Labour Party MPs University of Canterbury alumni University of Auckland alumni New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand officials of the United Nations Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Leaders of the opposition (New Zealand) New Zealand Labour Party leaders Unsuccessful candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2002 New Zealand general election 21st-century New Zealand politicians People educated at Papatoetoe High School