Duncan Webb for Christchurch Central

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, February 20th, 2017 - 40 comments
Categories: election 2017, labour - Tags: ,

Another strong Labour selection in an interesting electorate:

Dr Duncan Webb

Candidate for Christchurch Central

Duncan is a lawyer and professor who has been working since 2010 to help ordinary people in Christchurch get their homes, lives, jobs, and businesses back on track after the earthquakes. As well as practicing, researching, and teaching law, he is an activist and spokesperson for homeowners fighting defective repairs and the failures of insurers, EQC, and others to treat citizens fairly and properly. Duncan has also worked on other social justice projects, such as the Public Interest Project — which seeks to get innocent people out of jail — and the Howard League, which promotes prisoners’ rights. Furthermore, Duncan acted for the Flockton Basin residents in the EQC flood litigation and assisted the Problem Gambling Foundation when they sued Sky City.

Many Cantabrians have seen the failures in Christchurch and Duncan recognises the frustrations of trying to change things by helping one person at a time when it’s the system that is broken. He wants to bring his skills to Parliament and be part of a change that sees middle New Zealanders and their views at the centre of how people’s problems are approached, both in daily life and in response to disasters. Duncan firmly believes that a Labour Government will make life better for all of Christchurch.

Dr Webb’s professional web page is here, and he’s on the ball because he has his own campaign site up already. Here’s an extract…

…I received a genuinely free education and was given the best possible start so that I could be the first in my family to graduate from university. I was able to be become a lawyer and a professor. I am grateful for the opportunity to make choices that didn’t depend upon where I came from or how much money my family had – this is something that fewer and fewer people have today. My family and I have had the use of a comprehensive health system which was available to all – the health of us and our families should not depend on waiting lists or whether you have paid for insurance. Full and comprehensive health care is essential to thriving community….

All the best in Christchurch Central!

(Labour’s other confirmed 2017 candidates are listed here.)

40 comments on “Duncan Webb for Christchurch Central ”

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  1. dukeofurl 1
    20 February 2017 at 10:59 am

    From the list of confirmed candidates , it seems that Ohariu hasnt been finalised ?

  2. Ad 2
    20 February 2017 at 11:50 am

    This is going to be a really interesting one to watch on election night.

    After the 2014 boundary changes to this electorate, Nicki Wagner was all up in arms saying it was basically Labour’s. But Labour lost.

    This seat has a very long Labour pedigree, going at least all the way back to Sir Geoffrey Palmer in the 1980s.

    In 2005 there was Tim Barnett with a majority there of 7,800.

    Then Brendon Burns in 2008.

    In 2011 and 2014 Wagner got in with pretty small margins.
    2011 there was about 50 votes between her and Brendan Burns

    I will be watching this one really closely, because if in this election Nicki extends her margin over 3,000 it’s going to be really hard to unseat her.

    So the background of this Labour candidate gives me some hope that his hard work for earthquake victims over the years will really pay off.

  3. Dot 3
    20 February 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Duncan Webb has to be a very good choice against
    a developer and MP for Christchurch Central.

  4. Cinny 4
    20 February 2017 at 1:08 pm

    By crikey, Labour sure has a stellar line up this year. Dang, Duncan Webb, EXCELLENT.

    All the best Sir and lucky ChCh Central

  5. Richard McGrath 5
    20 February 2017 at 3:08 pm

    Oh look – another middle class white teacher/lawyer/trade unionist standing for Labour…

    • Scotty 5.1
      20 February 2017 at 3:17 pm

      Oh look -another proudly illiterate National voter.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1
        20 February 2017 at 7:38 pm

        😈

        Actually, I believe he’s an ACT voter and even then only under protest as they’re not right-wing enough.

      • Richard McGrath 5.1.2
        20 February 2017 at 8:29 pm

        Sorry Scotty, haven’t voted National since 1981. But I have voted Labour since then.

    • DoublePlusGood 5.2
      20 February 2017 at 3:20 pm

      You’d rather a candidate without a strong record of getting things done?

    • lprent 5.3
      20 February 2017 at 3:34 pm

      You know that I haven’t exactly seen anyone productive standing for National for a long time?

      Personally I can’t see any real difference between trade unionists and a doctor myself. Both are just service people with very limited productivity for society as a whole.

      National seems to have PR people, lawyers, accountants external marketing/advertising, lobbyists, doctors and other service people. A radio host. A investment banker. woodwork teacher. But an awful lot of professional politicians. No-one that creates anything worthwhile apart from a few farmers. Where are the production and operations managers, the programmers, in fact anyone who helps exports apart from farmers (and even that is debatable with their forward loading of environmental debt into future generations).

      Just a pile of parasites. At least teachers are productive members of society in that they raise hope in for the next generation.

      In other words – you really should take a good hard look at National and Act rather than reflexively wanking out your bigotry with such a stupid statements. Why would anyone productive really want to become a politician?

      • inspider 5.3.1
        20 February 2017 at 4:46 pm

        Sorry to burst your masters of the universe bubble, but Anne Tolley has a diploma in computer programming. Maurice Williamson was an IT manager.

        Going through the government front bench we have (got sick of lawyers by the time I got to Collins)

        Farmer/Politician
        Beneficiary /politician
        Entrepreneur
        Teacher
        Lawyer
        Lawyer/farmer
        Doctor
        Lawyer
        CEO
        Mother/ Politician
        Civil servant
        Farmer
        Lawyer/spin doctor
        Lawyer
        Engineer
        lawyer

        Labours got a similar mix if you swap lawyers for union officials. But no programmers….

        • inspider 5.3.1.1
          20 February 2017 at 5:37 pm

          Going further through the list of parasites, there’s another IT manager, a project manager, a teacher a nurse, an exporter, a policeman, an academic, an electrician, another teacher, another doctor, a scientist, a social worker, two more CEOs.

          How does national justify having all these non productive types on its list? It beggars belief how they continue to choose people who don’t decide to make a difference.

          • lprent 5.3.1.1.1
            20 February 2017 at 7:35 pm

            Have a look at how many of those were involved in exports. Most of these haven’t. Most are essentially low productivity parasites in the local economy.

            NZ is a trading nation, we export to make money to pay for everything. The internal economy is essentially a service sector because the population is too small to get critical mass for productivity. Virtually every unionist would have had more export experience directly because they usually work for companies that export.

            Just as a point of contrast, in the last 20 years I haven’t worked for a company that hasn’t got more than 80% of their revenue from exporting.

            • inspider 5.3.1.1.1.1
              20 February 2017 at 10:19 pm

              So all those PSA, PPTA, NZEI, cleaners union, Nurse Org, Postal Workers, ASMS, Firefighters, Tertiary workers – all complete shit for brains… what would they know? Glad they have no involvement on public discourse

              yeah tourism and contributes zilch too

              • lprent …
                20 February 2017 at 10:30 pm

                Somehow you managed to miss the largest private sector union, the one that most of the trade union parliamentarians including the parliamentary leader of Labour came from. In you seem to have missed ALL of the private sector unions.

                I wonder why? Bigotry, hypocrisy or stupidity? There don’t seem to be too many other alternatives.

                If you don’t know how to argue coherently, then perhaps you should not make a complete dick of yourself.

                • inspider …
                  20 February 2017 at 11:46 pm

                  I didn’t miss them, you were the one who said that anyone not in exports was of low value. Surely that applies to unions too? To quote you:

                  “Have a look at how many of those were involved in exports. Most of these haven’t. Most are essentially low productivity parasites in the local economy.”

                  “Virtually every unionist would have had more export experience directly because they usually work for companies that export.”

                  Except all those unionists that don’t, including those who are Labour Mps (using your definitions). Included in those are Annette King (PSA), Grant Robertson (NZUSA), Phil Twyford (Journalist Union), Ian Lees Galloway (Nurses), su’a william sio (trade union education authority) Sue Moroney (horse workers union – which has a level of export focus to be fair), Trevor Mallard (PPTA), Clare Curran (Aus CTU), Dyson (clerical workers) Cunliffe (PSA)

                  PS I stopped at Cunliffe but could find no other Labour MP bio saying they came from an EPMU background(although Twyford was in a journalists’ union which merged later into EPMU)

                  • lprent …
                    21 February 2017 at 12:17 am

                    Never knew that Twyford was in the journalist union. I have only ever run across him in a variety of roles. Everything from book promotions to a number of other similar activities including a few years working at the electorate office fro Helen Clark. And I’ve known him for decades.

                    Similarly Clare Curran when I first ran across her was working at the Engineers union. She was there for a while. After that she was doing some kind of PR job.

                    Cunliffe when I first ran across him was just back from the BCG which is a rather prestigious management consultancy.

                    Using the same salective criteria, I am sure that I could make almost all National MPs look like degenerates. Especially if I look at the earlier lives.

                    In other words, you are a simpleton and what is known as a selective liar. You are cherry picking details to fit your argument, and not showing the sources so that other scan point out how wrong you are.

                    Your technique reminds of the other incompetents at this common skill. Cameron Slater and Nick Smith have majored in it for years.

                    Now I’m sure that you are correct. They may have worked for each of these unions for a period. But hwat else had they done?

                    I am sure that if I want through the list of National MPs using the exact same criteria

                  • inspider …
                    21 February 2017 at 12:38 am

                    The source is http://www.labour.org.nz/mps plus google. Clare Curran for instance makes no mention of her Engineers Union background.

                    But the point is, it was YOU who was disparaging of anyone not involved in export industries. I said the relative experience of the Labour front bench was similar to National’s. To quote you again:

                    “Have a look at how many of those (Nat MPs) were involved in exports. Most of these haven’t. Most are essentially low productivity parasites in the local economy.”

                    But apparently that critique doesn’t apply to former union staff in the services sector who are now Labour MPs (that I listed above). I’m sure Labour’s Finance Spokesperson (given his strong export experience) would love to hear your views on your relative merits and value to the economy.

        • Cinny 5.3.1.2
          20 February 2017 at 6:00 pm

          Maurice is going yays.

          Gosh do they have any candidates to replace all of these ‘retiring for family reasons’ Tory Mp’s?

          They’ll be needing Tolleys programming skills now more than ever.
          When did she study? In the ’80s?

          • inspider 5.3.1.2.1
            20 February 2017 at 6:07 pm

            Not sure. Labour sure is lucky not having to worry about replacing aging mps or finding people to supplement the ranks of their current crop.

            Not sure. Labour sure is lucky not having to worry about replacing aging mps or finding people to supplement the ranks of their current crop.

            As for tolley, it doesn’t matter. she is a coder so almost by definition a genius, with a fierce intellect, no tolerance for mere mortals and she’s likely a shit hot lover too

            • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1.2.1.1
              20 February 2017 at 8:04 pm

              As for tolley, it doesn’t matter. she is a coder so almost by definition a genius

              LOL

              Are you really that stupid?

            • Cinny 5.3.1.2.1.2
              21 February 2017 at 12:40 am

              since ya fishing with this bit Inspider… “she’s likely a shit hot lover too” what ever turns your tyres sunshine.

              However more amusing is the fact she (Tolley) is an aging MP/Politician
              Napier Council 1986 – 1995
              Then came in as a list MP in 1999 until 2002
              and then after losing she thought she’d have another crack at in 2005 and has been there ever since.
              Three terms in local government
              Five terms in Parliament

              When are National going to announce the replacement candidates for the ten (maybe more) MP’s that are resigning this year? That’s what I want to know.

        • lprent 5.3.1.3
          20 February 2017 at 7:23 pm

          You have rather proved my point.

          Despite being somewhat over educated myself, I really don’t value it. I value real work experience and value experience with exports far more than pandering to the largely captive market in teeny NZ.

          Entrepreneur ?== Steven Joyce. From memory his main claim to be that is Mediaworks, an organisation that operated solely internally selling advertising (and which grew largely on interesting sales of media spectrum).

          Anne Tolley, as far as I was aware never did anything with that diploma.

          Maurice Williamson was actually productive (in my terms). He was employed at Air NZ which does have a lot to do with the exterior economy of NZ. Possibly why he didn’t do that well in government.

          Engineer ?== Nick Smith. As I remember it he was employed in the local family construction business and was only there for a few years (6-7?) before becoming a politician.

          etc…

          In fact, I’d say that virtually every trade unionist in parliament has a hell of lot longer business experience gained close to our export industries than almost everyone in National apart from a few farmers who have a decade or more of experience.

          As I said (an you clearly ignored) teachers generally help our economy more than most National MPs, and really productive people seldom go into parliament – it is a pretty boring existence.

          But my real point was that Richard was being a total tosser as only someone lacking actual experience earning this country a living could be. He has a warped set of values – probably based around income rather than experience, utility and a ability to work.

          • inspider 5.3.1.3.1
            20 February 2017 at 10:10 pm

            Richard’s a GP isn’t he? I suspect that a vast majority of people would think that it is pretty warped denying doctors make an important contribution to the national economy (along with anyone else not directly involved in ‘export industries’).

            My friend who has built a business employing dozens of people installing and maintaining key elements of windfarms will be devastated to find he has labored in vain and that his contribution is valueless. Similarly the funeral director and the sign writer.

            But no doubt the exporters of lamb flaps and chickens arses to the pacific islands will be delighted.

            • lprent 5.3.1.3.1.1
              20 February 2017 at 10:44 pm

              I would say that he doesn’t make a particularly direct productive contribution to society. While he can probably export himself, outside of a few of the biochem doctors around Auckland and Otago uni, it’d be hard to see how they are much more than a service sector.

              If you are talking about people who assemble overseas components for the NZ economy without injecting much of any local input apart from labour – then they would class as a service sector to me as well. If they actually inject some IP or smelting then maybe. Are there any locally produced parts to windfarms? maybe some structural steel – but those are probably imports as well. The nett result is that the bulk of the value is probably imported.

              Of course National is the party of the crony capitalists intent on gouging out profits without significiant inputs. As a probable supporter, I guess you have a distorted viewpoint. As long as you can live off the backs of others being productive – I guess you simply don’t care. But hey, I’m always interested in the strange views of idiot parasites.

              Just as a sidepoint. I’m at work right now waiting for a test procedure to run on my code. It is a project that is worth 10s of millions of dollars of exports. My part of the project is pretty large as well. But hey, I’m doing it for YOU… Bludger.

              (I do so love using the arguments of the numbwits of the right. It sure beats being nice to their lazy arses).

              • inspider …
                21 February 2017 at 12:21 am

                Live off the back or support you to be productive? Where does your electricity come from that powers your computer?

                You probably don’t get sick or injured, but for those who do, explain how it is parasitical to make them healthy and productive again? Should doctors prioritise the healing of export industry workers?

                You’ve been in the TA. How effective would you be at the pointy end and for how long without the logistics or catering corps?

                • lprent …
                  21 February 2017 at 12:36 am

                  I actually agree with you. That is why they are known as support services.

                  Exactly like trade unions, teachers, lawyers and all of the other things you were denigrating before.

                  That took you far too long to get around to arguing my actual argument. Couldn’t you see that was what I rotating it to. All I did was use EXACTLY the argument that you and Richard McGarth were using, except I used a different (and far more explicit) bias. The nett effect is to make you argue what was my point…

                  Any fool that has ever run anything knows that the support services are crucial. That is the downfall of the implicit functionalist arguments that you and McGarth were using.

                  Perhaps you could please deign to be less of a dickhead in future.

                • inspider …
                  21 February 2017 at 12:49 am

                  “Exactly like trade unions, teachers, lawyers and all of the other things you were denigrating before.”

                  You are very keen on people backing up claims, so please can you cite where I denigrated any of them in this thread?

                  If “the support services are crucial” why do you believe that people who work in them are “low productivity parasites in the local economy”?

              • simbit …
                21 February 2017 at 3:15 am

                I’d hazard a guess exporters rely on servicers. And presumably you’re not picky about who the importers are …

        • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1.4
          20 February 2017 at 8:02 pm

          but Anne Tolley has a diploma in computer programming.

          But has she actually done any programming?

          I’ll have a bachelor in computing sciences in a few months but I still haven’t done any actual programming despite all the code that I’ve written over the last few years.

      • Richard McGrath 5.3.2
        20 February 2017 at 8:35 pm

        Actually I agree with you there Lynn. National is also overrun with professional politicians – perhaps term limits for pollies should be enacted to prevent abominations like Peter Dunne from occurring. What might be considered ‘productive’ appears to be a matter of opinion ~: )

    • McFlock 5.4
      20 February 2017 at 3:35 pm

      Hmmm.

      Yeah, it’s funny how Labour tends to choose candidates who decide to make a difference, beginning with their choice of career.

      I suspect the preponderance of “middle class” is either your perception bias or simply an artifact of the fact that a lot of hand-to-mouth workers simply can’t afford to take time off work to campaign, but whatevs.

  6. Cynical jester 6
    20 February 2017 at 6:37 pm

    Duncans going to destroy Nikki. Hes fantastic, much better than the previous candidate Tony, who wasn’t from the area ran away from town after he lost and whose answer to everything was ‘im gay!” Which as a gay dude erkked the shit out o me.I campaigned for him but im really looking forward to campaigning for Duncan who is a much better candidate.

  7. Michael who failed Civics 7
    20 February 2017 at 8:13 pm

    I think Webb is a really good candidate for this electorate. IIRC, it was held by Sir Geoffrey Palmer in his time? In addition, Webb is a strong candidate for Attorney-General in a Labour-led government. Now all he, and his comrades, have to do is win an election. A minor detail, of course.

  8. mauī 8
    20 February 2017 at 8:45 pm

    Looks an excellent selection. Yes Webb Can!

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