Party faithful gather for Jones' feast

Former Maori Affairs Minister and now Northland Regional councillor Dover Samuels belts out another song. Photo / Peter de Graaf

There was only one place to be in the Far North on the night before Waitangi festivities began, and that was the home of former Labour MP Shane Jones.

No less than five past and present Labour leaders turned up for the annual pre-Waitangi party hosted by Mr Jones, now Ambassador for Pacific Economic Development, and his partner Dorothy Pumipi near Kerikeri on February 4.

Click on the image below for a gallery of some of the party's well-known guests:

Image 1 of 8: Labour Party leader Andrew Little, left, and former Rugby Sevens star Eric Rush (now the owner of Kaikohe's New World supermarket)

The party's newest leader, Andrew Little, was there, as was the man he ousted, David Cunliffe, along with Phil Goff, David Shearer and last year's interim leader David Parker. All seemed to rub along happily despite the ructions of recent years.

Only Helen Clark was missing; she was busy in New York, apparently.

Never one to miss a party, and probably the last to go home, was NZ First leader Winston Peters; former Maori Affairs Minister (now Northland Regional councillor) Dover Samuels grabbed the mic and showed he could have pursued an alternative career as a cabaret singer, and surprise talent Mr Shearer belted out half a dozen rock 'n roll numbers with the Billy TK Junior band.

Also spotted in the crush under the shelter of the balcony or circling the buffet table were Sevens star Eric Rush, iwi leaders Sonny Tau (Ngapuhi) and Naida Glavish (Ngati Whatua), master waka builder Hekenukumai Busby, broadcasters Willie Jackson and John "JT" Tamihere, former mayor Wayne Brown and Pacific trade bigwigs. A bishop no less blessed the food.

Almost the entire Labour caucus showed up. Party veteran and deputy leader Annette King got a sepcial mention from Mr Jones, who described her as his political mentor.

The heavily outnumbered Whangarei MP Shane Reti bravely flew the flag for National.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated guest, however, arrived in slices on the buffet table - the 305.9kg marlin Mr Jones hooked off Cape Brett last month.

Before the party he joked he'd had to ask his son Tohe to rebuild the deck just to take the monster fish's weight.