Candidate profile: Phil Twyford

  • Breaking
  • 11/10/2011

Phil Twyford is a newbie to Parliament and is relatively unknown. But he entered the Labour Party at the right time to move up the ranks and wave goodbye to the backbenches.

Background:

Phil Twyford has tried his hand at a few different careers over the years.

He worked with the international humanitarian organisation Oxfam for 15 years, and was the founding-director of Oxfam New Zealand.

He also spent four years working as a journalist and union organiser.

Career in politics:

Phil has been involved with Labour since 2003 and unsuccessfully ran for Parliament in 2005 in the North Shore seat. He was also the secretary of Labour’s policy council and was a member of their governing council.

In 2008 Phil left his career at Oxfam to enter Parliament as a list MP. Helen Clark described him as the next Steve Maharey – a former Minister under Labour and a smart social democrat.

In his valedictory speech, Phil said he believed in socialism and rejected the notion that more Government was a burden.

This year Phil will stand in the Te Atatu electorate, realising an ambition to be more than a list MP which he made clear in 2008, saying “I like being part of a community and utterly connected to it.”

Phil is currently Labour’s spokesperson for Auckland issues, disarmament and arms control, and the associate spokesperson for foreign affairs.

Notable actions:

He is an outspoken critic of the Auckland super city project, calling it a dangerous move to overly centralise power.

Phil had his a drawn from the member’s ballot in September and is currently awaiting its first reading – if successful the bill would ban depleted uranium weapons and armour from New Zealand.

What you might not know:

Phil’s executive assistant Sonny Thomas stole thousands of dollars from him using credit cards and lunch cards. Thomas, in court, said it was to pay for his father’s operation.

Phil’s middle name is ‘Stoner’.

Heroes and idols:

He once told a reporter that he looked up to Michael Cullen's brand of “old-fashioned Keynesianism”.

Quote:

(In an email to around 1000 Aucklanders)

“I am writing now to urge you to vote, if you haven't already, in the local government elections. A lot is at stake… If you are in Auckland, your choice will help determine what kind of super city we end up with. If we elect the right people to the mayoralty, council and boards they will be able to un-do much of the harm Rodney Hide has done over the last eighteen months. Vote Len Brown for Mayor."

Gaffes and blunders:

In late 2010, Phil criticised National Party president Michelle Boag for inappropriate use of her parliamentary email. A week later, ACT leader Rodney Hide uncovered that Phil had misused his parliamentary resources, sending out an email to thousands of Aucklanders endorsing super city mayoral candidate Len Brown (see above). Phil claimed it was an innocent mistake, and apologised.

In a sentence:

Phil is a newbie to Parliament and is relatively unknown. But he has entered the Labour Party at the right time to move up the ranks and wave goodbye to the backbenches.

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