Cunliffe claims an affinity with town

He really is the son of a preacher man ...

While it is a readily available fact that David Cunliffe's father was an Anglican minister during David's childhood, what fewer people might know is that his father was once the vicar at St John's church in Whangamomona.

David Cunliffe was born in Te Aroha before his family moved on to Te Kuiti and then Pleasant Point (near Timaru) in the South Island.

"I come from a small town, I grew up in small towns. I know what they need, it is about regional level policies, and getting back to basics to help the smaller towns and communities grow."

Economic growth happens, he says, faster under a Labour government than a National one. "We are the accelerator pedal while they are the brake pedal."

Sitting down to lunch with Mr Cunliffe at Nelson's cafe in Stratford, means being joined by a number of people. He is in town campaigning along with Hamish McDouall, the Labour candidate for the Whanganui electorate, of which Stratford is now a part, Adrian Rurawhe, the candidate for Te Tai Hauuru, and Penny Gaylor, who is standing for Taranaki-King Country.

While this makes a busy lunch table, what makes the interview fragmented, is the number of people coming over, to take selfies with Mr Cunliffe, or ask questions about party policies.

"I am always happy to hear what people think, you can never be too busy for that."

Some of the Labour Party policies have recently been criticised as "anti-farming", something Mr Cunliffe says is not the case.

"We are keen to support all industries in the country. When it comes to dairy farming, for example, we want to look not just at the volume of milk being produced, but the actual return for farmers.

"This means looking at innovation, finding ways to make things run better."

Another focus in farming, he says, is looking at making it more accessible for sharemilkers to get their own farm. "We want to focus on family farming, not corporate farming."

Another issue facing many small towns is amalgamation.

"We are absolutely against any type of forced amalgamation," Mr Cunliffe says, adding that sharing services and buying power is great for councils, but that doesn't have to mean they can't stay autonomous in other areas.

Leaving lunch, it is time to take a walk along Broadway, once again, stopping often to talk to local businesspeople and passersby. Even taking an official photo proves hard, as Mr Cunliffe frequently drops away from the group.

"I just want to ask the pharmacy what they think about our health policies," he says as he pops into another store, while his team, clearly used to this, wait patiently for their leader to return.