Labour's leadership race heats up

Labour leader contenders David Shearer and David Cunliffe. Photo / Doug Sherring

Labour's leadership contenders have put their pitches on the party's MPs' Red Alert website to allow followers to comment.

The contenders will attend their second road show meeting for party members tonight at Palmerston North.

Blog moderator Clare Curran said the blog would allow others to have their say and the contenders would be encouraged to take part in online debate and answer questions put to them.

In their opening pitches - the order of which was chosen by a coin toss - David Cunliffe says his first priority as a leader will be to 'reunite the caucus."

He promises "significant modernisation" of the party, saying it had to earn the confidence of New Zealanders again and reach out to provincial and rural areas.

"The loss of votes in 2011 to other parties shows we need to rebuild our relationship working Kiwi families, including middle income earners and small businesses."

His rival David Shearer also promises to renew the party, saying its success hinged on its ability to build and keep deep connections with New Zealanders.

"And if we are honest, we have to accept some of our connections to communities have frayed over time, and we need to renew them. We need to act urgently to rebuild, and especially in places where New Zealand deserted us in huge numbers at the last election."

He said businesses as well as those at the bottom end of the gap between the rich and the poor should all be able to look to Labour as the party that would help them prosper. Labour's core philosophy was "opportunity for all"

"We must not budge from this and under my leadership we will not."

He points to his background as a humanitarian worker in war zones, saying he had worked under extreme, sometimes life-threatening situations, involved in sensitive political negotiations and rebuilding schools and hospitals on limited budgets.

"And I will bring these skills to lead Labour back to Government."

The two deputy leader contenders - Nanaia Mahuta for David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson, likely for Shearer - have also put their bids up. Mr Robertson has claimed his skills are complementary to Mr Shearer's and he focuses on his ability as an organiser within the party as it undertakes a review and his "political nous" within Parliament.

"I know I can hold my own and best any of the National front bench in Parliament and on the hustings. I believe I can connect and empathise with the wider New Zealand public."

Ms Mahuta talks about her childhood in Huntly, where the community suffered after the privatisation of SOEs in the 1990s, using that example to emphasise issues of child poverty and joblessness.

She says she fully supports an organisational review of Labour to reinvigorate the party. "I want to make a contribution to a Labour leadership team to reset our compass, to move forward with energy, conviction and passion for the people we serve."

The posts can be seen at www.redalert.org.nz