Harvey seals the deal

Bob Harvey. Photo / Greg Bowker

Chris Carter is a man reborn, says long-time adviser Bob Harvey.

"He has rallied," said Harvey who admitted being the "fixer" for the Carter book deal.

"I think it's the rise-and-fall-and-rise again of Chris Carter."

Harvey - outgoing Waitakere mayor and a former Labour Party president - believed the momentum to move against Carter had been lost.

"I get the feeling the moment has gone. I don't know about this new president (Andrew Little) but someone has blinked."

Harvey said the book idea emerged over a coffee meeting with Carter who he had known for decades: "I said 'you've got a great story about your life in politics'."

He said Carter could capture the years of the Helen Clark-led Labour government.

"How did that remarkable woman Clark put it together?

"No one was closer and no one was more intimate to how the ninth floor of Beehive worked other than him and Judith (Tizard)."

Harvey said he approached Random House publishing director Nicola Legat with the idea and it was received with enthusiasm.