Political passion started in school for MP

Damien O'Connor enjoys being part of the decision-making. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Political editor Audrey Young continues her series on newly promoted Cabinet ministers and their views on their portfolios, influences and the nation. Fourth in the series is Damien O'Connor.

What are the most pressing issues facing you in your portfolios?

In tourism, there is a declining yield while we have increasing numbers of people coming to the country, so those coming aren't spending the same amount of money. That is affected partly by the high dollar, maybe the cheaper airfares that mean that New Zealand is more accessible for those coming for short stays or visiting friends and relatives.

Under rural affairs, sorting through the land access issue sensibly is a big challenge.

Under health, reducing the rate of smoking in New Zealand, trying to address the binge drinking culture in this country and reduce the harm from alcohol. In rural health ensuring there are good, adequate services for rural New Zealanders. They don't expect everything, but they do need good basic services.

In corrections, reducing the number of people we put in prison is a big challenge. That works in two ways: working with justice ministers at the front end trying to reduce the offending so that less people are coming into the system and making sure that in sentencing we get it right. And when they go in there, we undertake the programmes that will assist in staying out when they get out.

Do you know anyone in prison?

I've known people who have been in and out of prison. You have respect for them as people and understand that mistakes can be made - some of them stupid, unforgivable, but not necessarily ones that destroy a person's right to pay the penalty and get on.

Are you glad to be rid of that immigration job?

That was a very high workload but was very good education and training for decision-making, every one of them being hard, and I guess office organisation to make sure you could process the number.

Explain how different life has become now that you are a minister inside Cabinet rather than outside?

It is more enjoyable and challenging inside Cabinet where you participate more actively in decision-making and can better understand the outcomes from Cabinet.

Where do you get your most valuable advice from?

It's a mixture of advisers from within my office, obviously papers from the departments and obviously connections in and around New Zealand.

Who do you think is more powerful, the politicians, the press or the public service?

I don't think we are the most powerful. We might be the ultimate decision-makers, but ensuring we have public support for those decisions and making them on the basis of the best available information means that you need that tripartite approach to democracy.

When did you first get politically active?

At secondary school, arguing and debating with friends on issues which for me were debated around the family and were part and parcel of everyday life. At the time [National leader] Robert Muldoon was starting to beat up on the Labour Government in the 70s, which I took umbrage at. But from school until my early 30s I didn't take part in much political activity other than as a union delegate in West Australia and as someone always interested in farming politics and community development.

Who was your biggest political influence before you got to Parliament?

I guess Bill Rowling, as a family friend and someone who I followed through that difficult phase, was someone who I respected and knew as an individual. David Lange's rise to power was inspirational for anyone in Labour, and Mike Moore's enthusiasm for new ideas caught my imagination.

Is there a foreign political figure who has influenced or inspired you, apart from Nelson Mandela?

Well meeting him was a great honour. I guess Bill Clinton steered the US back in a sensible direction after the Reagan era and brought back in some social responsibility in a country that is clearly the most influential in the world.

What is the most memorable election you have fought and why?

I guess the first one [1993] and getting into Parliament, but the'99 election when I was in the middle of the forestry debate on the West Coast and everyone had predicted I would lose and then to win personally and then to be part of a Government was exciting and rewarding.

What was the last private member's bill you had in the ballot?

I had drafted one on expungement of criminal records similar to Nandor Tanczos' but Nandor's one was pulled and effectively addressed many of the issues that I had looked at [The Clean Slate Bill, passed in 2004, conceals a minor conviction after seven years].

Do you have a criminal record?

No, I don't. It was an issue in principle that the issue of decriminalisation of marijuana can be sensibly argued on the basis of the effects of a minor conviction. Internationally that issue has been addressed through expungement legislation.

So you see it as an alternative to decriminalising marijuana?

Absolutely. If you expunge a person's records after a period, then you remove the justification for decriminalisation on the basis of its long-term effect. The message remains that drugs are harmful and there has to be a penalty and regime for prosecuting offenders.

What advice would you give a backbench MP aiming to get into Cabinet?

Learn as much as you can about as much as you can rather than specialising in an area that you think will be your forte in politics. We are expected to know about a lot of things as constituent MPs or as ministers, and narrowing your base of knowledge I think undermines your ability to participate across the parliamentary system.

Do you think New Zealand needs a new flag?

Yes, I think we need a new flag. I think it is time we identified ourselves clearly as a nation independent of our neighbours and of Britain.

Do you look forward to Waitangi Day?

Yes. It is a celebration of the joining of two people, Maori and Pakeha, to form the nation of New Zealand and it should be a day of unity, not division.

What are you doing to unwind this summer?

Not travelling. Spending time with the kids, with my girls and hopefully, some outdoor activity.

DAMIEN O'CONNOR

AGE: 48

PORTFOLIOS: Corrections, Tourism, Rural Affairs, Associate Health.

FAMILY: Separated, four children.

WORK HISTORY: Former farmer and adventure tourism operator, MP for West Coast Tasman, first elected in 1993, Minister of Racing outside Cabinet last term.