Kelvin Davis – the highs and lows of a humble politician
After 12 years in politics, Labour’s former deputy leader Kelvin Davis has decided it’s time to call it quits.
He lost his beloved Te Tai Tokerau seat at the election and came in on the list, but spending time with his new granddaughter recently has convinced him time’s up.
“I think the time is right,” he told Newshub.
There were two Kelvin’s.
The affable, funny, clever Kelvin you met in private and the terribly awkward shy stumbling bumbling Minister the millisecond a camera was put on him.
His public persona was unfortunately built upon those terrible media interviews.
There were so many times you felt Kelvin was just learning about a problem as the journalist was asking him!
Kelvin was however a the quiet achiever on prisons.
Following 9 years of National’s spite as social policy that saw prisoner voting rights stolen, prison population numbers explode and the deeply flawed private prison model established, Labour not only had to fight a Corrections system that was broken and counterproductive, it had to fight an electorate who had been fuelled by the mainstream media to hate prisoners and want them to actually suffer rather than merely punished by loss of liberty.
Kelvin managed to lower the prison muster by forcing Corrections staff to help illiterate prisoners fill in the forms that would allow them to serve their sentence at home rather than in prison, but that clever use of existing loopholes without a major culture change and resources to modernise the ancient prison network wasn’t enough to cope with the extra problems caused by Covid.
The lack of tech upgrade with the ankle bracelets created an environment for some home detention prisoners to cause more crime.
Corrections also let Kelvin down on the riots and Oranga Tamariki never seemed to be listening.
In the end Kelvin realised the job was bigger than his capacity and there is a humbleness in that acknowledgement that should drive our judgements of him as a politician rather than his trainwreck media interviews.
Him stepping down makes way for new Māori leadership within the Labour Party.
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There are a lot worse people in the world than Kelvin, his prison reform advocacy was actually very good and supporting the offshore Aussie captives. But he was no intellectual giant…head office NZ Labour put much resources into the western end (Auck) of Tai Tokerau electorate and he beat Hone Harawira by 900 odd votes, the political history of this country would have much different if Internet Mana’s Laila and Hone had been in Parliament.
I guess a certain intellectual capacity is needed to be a politician, but too much can be a disadvantage as well as too little.
Tiger, a worse one . Luxon using taxpayer funds to learn Te Reo whilst cutting and gutting the public sector.
Surely if someone who wants to learn Te Reo, oh and who owns seven houses, including a home in Remuera worth $7.68 million and they earn $450,000 plus a year, can fund it themselves. And this is the same person slashing the allowance for speaking Te Reo in leadership roles.
National have always been hypocritical arseholes as have their support base but even this is ridiculous!
The highest form of tokenism you will see.
Yet they are in Government and yet you cry salty tears.
Well put!! is all I can say to your salient comment.
Don’t be petty. He should try to learn some Te Reo while he is an MP and further a PM. We have bigger issues to discuss – don’t get caught up on smaller matters, it is a waste of your great intellectual power.
It would be interesting to know who is being paid to tutor Luxon in Te Reo Maori. HE IS STILL SAYING TE RAYOH. Surely he can learn the correct pronunciation of three letters. Please name and shame the Maori Tutor, he/she needs to give us our money back.
“Non performing diversity hire retires to spend time with family”
I’ll say one really good thing about Kelvin Davis. When he wasn’t in government, he backed Charter Schools and was on the board of one. Because they were uplifting local children. He was forced to change his position because of the influence the teacher’s union has on the Labour Party.
Sad!
Beef farmer. Yes. He misled Parliament saying that the then opposition were the descendants of land thieves, thereby helping to fuel the anti Pakeha/colonialist racism prevalent among radicals and others.
They were listed above, perhaps you should take your head out of that cows uterus, and read the article.
How many Palestinians have been killed by Israel?
More than 15,900 Palestinians killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 -Palestinian health minister. RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 5 (Reuters) – More than 15,900 Palestinians, including 250 health workers, have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war on Oct. 7,
see why Israel can kill innocent children with American taxpayer at
https://www.tiktok.com/@br.internationali/video/7309431742694264070?lang=en&q=why%20dont%20Americans%20knowl%20what%20you%20have%20seen%20&t=1701880206555
See how innocent children are killed by the most poufel American arms at
Al Jazeera English Live
at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCNeDWCI0vo
if you do not do something then you do not have a HART
Agree. Some conflate mean and nasty with cleverness.Gotta pity them.
The mention of his granddaughter reminds me of a bopok I read about, haven’t read myself though. These men seem to be in a similar place.
Life Beyond Measure
Poitier reflects on his amazing life in Life Beyond Measure, offering inspirational advice and personal stories in the form of extended letters to his great-granddaughter.
Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter
Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com › Life-Beyond-Measure-Letters…
I just remember the poem
Yet they are in Government and yet you cry salty tears.