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Jane Ussher was the chief photographer for the New Zealand Listener for 29 years. It was the role that defined her celebrated career; she has been a key player in documenting New Zealand culture through images and is widely considered one of the country’s best portrait photographers. Now freelance, she has created and curated a series of political portraits for the Listener in the lead-up to the 2023 general election.

Ussher, alongside New Zealand Listener art director Derek Ward, went into the series first and foremost wanting the leaders of the five leading political parties to look unguarded, relaxed, and spontaneous. “That was the driving force – the thing that was most important for me to achieve in all of the portraits,” she says.

Did you choose a different part of Parliament for each party?

We were given one location, the Grand Floor of Parliament House, but fortunately, I was able to find three quite different aspects within it. With the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, even though I used a similar wall, their distinctive clothes became their point of difference. I didn’t feel inhibited by the singular location at all. I think it worked really well, and I really enjoyed the process.

Marama Davidson. Photo / Jane Ussher

Where was the other Greens co-leader, James Shaw, during this shoot?

Unfortunately, Marama Davidson was by herself because James Shaw was coming back from somewhere in the Pacific. It is harder if you are by yourself, because you haven’t got somebody else to bounce off. But I think she looks beautiful in these shots. I think she looked thoughtful, and I was really pleased with the serenity in this set of photos.

Her hand is on the empty chair, almost signalling her co-leader is missing, yet she’s so relaxed and in control.

I like how she looks like she’s listening. I felt like everybody in these political portraits, not just Marama, had given a lot of thought of how they wanted to present themselves. Marama wearing that amazing green suit and necklace – I don’t think anything happened by accident.

It’s interesting that all these shots are in a Parliament space. Did that make it harder to bring out their informal self?

No, they were all extremely relaxed. This is their working environment – their home. I probably couldn’t have found a better place to photograph them. There was never a sense of being uptight.