David Shearer

For other people named David or Dave Shearer, see David Shearer (disambiguation).

David Shearer MBE
Shearer in Mount Albert, May 2009
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2017
Secretary-General	António Guterres
Preceded by	Ellen Margrethe Løj
33rd Leader of the Opposition
In office 13 December 2011 – 15 September 2013
Deputy	Grant Robertson
Preceded by	Phil Goff
Succeeded by	David Cunliffe
14th Leader 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 the New Zealand Parliament for Mount 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 Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Anuschka Meyer
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Auckland University of Canterbury
Occupation	Politician, humanitarian worker
Signature

David James Shearer MBE (born 28 July 1957) is a New Zealand United Nations worker and politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Labour Party from 2009 to 2016, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013.

Shearer spent nearly 20 years working for the UN, managing the provision of aid to countries including Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq. In 1992, Shearer was (together with his wife) named as New Zealander of the Year by The New Zealand Herald. On 13 June 2009 he won the Mount Albert by-election and entered the House of Representatives. He was elected as leader of the Labour Party on 13 December 2011 but resigned on 15 September 2013, being succeeded by David Cunliffe.

Shearer resigned from Parliament in December 2016 and currently heads the United Nations peace keeping mission in South Sudan.

Early life

Shearer was born and brought up in the Auckland 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 developed a friendship with Phil Goff. He then graduated from the University of Auckland with a BSc and the University of Canterbury with a MSc (Hons) in Resource Management.

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 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. From 1999 Shearer served in various UN posts including Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Rwanda, Senior Humanitarian Adviser in Albania and Chief of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Belgrade. 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. During the conflict in Lebanon 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 Ban Ki-moon as his Deputy Special Representative (Humanitarian, Reconstruction and Development) for Iraq. 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

Shearer speaking to University of Otago academic Bryce Edwards in November 2011

See also: Electoral history of David Shearer

New Zealand Parliament
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: in 1999 he stood as a list-only candidate and in 2002 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

Main article: 2011 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election

In December 2011, following the resignation of Phil Goff, Shearer contested for leadership of the Labour Party. His opponents were David Cunliffe and David Parker. Shearer was viewed as unlikely to win the election; Claire Trevett of The New Zealand Herald originally expected that only Cunliffe and Parker would run for the leader's role, and The Dominion Post's 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. 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

See also: Shadow Cabinet of David Shearer

Shearer addresses NetHui, July 2012

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. He was described as "the invisible man 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.

Shearer continued to face dissent within the party caucus. 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. Shearer remained in Parliament and retained his seat at the 2014 election.

Resignation

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 for his seat in the Mount Albert electorate, which lead to future Labour leader and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern winning the seat.

Personal achievements

In 1992 Shearer, and his wife Anuschka Meyer, were named the New Zealanders of the Year by The New Zealand Herald after running one of the biggest aid camps in Somalia.

In the 1993 New Year Honours Shearer was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire 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.

External links

• Shearer's official website
• Parliamentary website page

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Helen Clark	Member of Parliament for Mount Albert 2009–2016	Succeeded by Jacinda Ardern
Party political offices
Preceded by Phil Goff	Leader of the Labour Party 2011–2013	Succeeded by David Cunliffe
Political offices
Preceded by Phil Goff	Leader of the Opposition 2011–2013	Succeeded by David Cunliffe