The event was planned to get a broad cross-section of people, from successful chief executives such as Sky's John Fellet, to ardent union organisers such as Jill Ovens and Robert Reid. The guest list was as important as the message.
Little must be seen as a potential leader for all, not just narrow left-wing interests.
There was a large representation from the caucus too, but what was most appropriate was the fact that the other three leadership contenders were there: Grant Robertson, David Parker and Nanaia Mahuta.
It was appropriate they were there because his speech - ostensibly setting up a commission on the future of work - was a combination of all the ideas that had been fleshed out by the group in halls up and down the country during the leadership contest.
His speech was a roundabout way of saying that Labour cannot afford to be seen primarily as the party of the working class if it wants to ever return to power. It has to connect to all working people, not just working-class people, not just the low-paid.
The roving commission will be the visible manifestation of Labour MPs wanting to listen to people, "from smoko rooms to the boardroom" about the future of work. It's addressing a problem most people have never contemplated that seriously, but it also addresses a major problem for Labour: how to reconnect with voters.
Auckland's Chamber of Commerce head Michael Barnett helped to organise the event and afterwards said the Chamber could have a role in any employment initiative.
Below are some of the reactions of people to Mr Little's speech:
David Lewis, former Helen Clark press secretary, now PR consultant:
"He's straight into it. He had a good line about Auckland houses earning more than people do in their jobs. I think he is going to be very interesting as Labour leader. He certainly started with a hiss and a roar last week. After six years we finally have a Labour talk about jobs and how to make employment relevant in this economy."
Michael Barnett, CE Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry: "It's what I said on my Facebook this morning. I said I went to a breakfast with Andrew Little and guess what was scary? It wasn't. I've suggested the chamber could have a role to play in any employment initiative."
John Tamihere, former Labour MP: "For his first outing, it was a very powerful group of Auckland players. It's a very good sign that a bunch of people who have reasonable influence and networks particularly in this city turned out. He is not as risk averse as others so he has put a marker out there right now by setting in place a three year commission [on the future of work]. That could end in tears but at least he is chancing his arm and doing something.
"He has to re-engage with where working folk are now, rather than where they were. Only 20 per cent of Kiwis are in a union, 80 per cent aren't. The party has to follow them. It can't stay in the trenches. His commitment to move the political discourse back into the construction sites particularly where sub-contracting is huge and where Labour lost it is a good thing.
"For some unknown reason our academics have been locked out of the political discourse and he is inviting them back in. That's a very important thing for any democracy to allow a robust academic entry into the debate rather than being beat up."
Peter Parussini, head of corporate affairs, ANZ New Zealand.
"It's good to have a political leaders talking about the future of work. I think it's a good idea to have a commission, so long as the commission goes out and talks to everyone in the community, it's a great idea. He seems to have a decent start which was helped by all the other things that happened last week."
Sir Bob Harvey, former Labour president: "I thought it was an extraordinary audience. It needed a little bit more organisation so it could be bigger but it was an extraordinary lift-off you'd have to say. For a lift-off, the idea of a commission, which was at the heart of the speech, was a bit of a knock-out I think. For an Auckland audience that covered a wide spectrum of National, Labour, still thinking about it, I reckon it was 8 out of 10."
Jill Ovens, Hotel and Service Workers Union "It's good to pick up on these challenges [on the changing nature of work]. We are even facing it in the cleaning industry with the franchising of cleaning operations, particularly in schools. The people are being pushed out of their jobs as cleaners working for the school or contractors, and now mum and dad operations, usually new migrants are coming in, having to pay a fortune for the licensing fee to the franchise operator, probably not even making the minimum wage because they are not unionised so there's no ability to watch, monitor what they are getting.
"The unions have been looking at the challenges of how we organise in these areas where people are not in traditional forms of Labour. At one stage we looked at organising taxi drivers for example and discovered there were so many forms of employment arrangements that it was really impossible to organise them."
