David Pattemore is the Labour candidate for Taranaki-King country this year. Cerys Gibby pulled him aside from campaigning to answer some questions about himself, his involvement in politics, and the state of his electorate.
Tell me a bit about yourself! What are your passions, your interests?
I love being outdoors and working with plants or animals, whether that’s at home on our property, in the bush, or working with orchardists and farmers. I’ve always been passionate about conservation, so making tangible contributions towards conservation, like volunteering at Sanctuary Mountain, brings me huge satisfaction. But I equally found it really rewarding to work with orchardists on improving pollination for their crops. I also really enjoy learning languages, and the interactions with people that brings, so I’ve been enjoying my journey in learning to speak conversational te reo Māori, and starting to apply it.
leading on from that, what got you into politics?
I’ve always been politically engaged – I’ve seen direct consequences, both good and bad, of political decisions. But I only became a Labour member and got actively engaged in the local group in the lead up to the 2023 election. I was motivated by deep concern at what the National party was promoting, and their government has ended up being even more destructive than I feared. I chose to run as a candidate, because I realised that I could make a positive contribution in parliament and I could no longer just sit on the sidelines and watch.
What do you think are the biggest issues facing the Taranaki-King Country electorate?
Without a doubt, it’s the cost of living and how that is impacted by the availability of good jobs, as well as access to good homes to live in and affordable health care. The accessibility of health care across this large provincial electorate is a significant issue when the price of fuel has made travel in personal cars so much more expensive.
Our economic recovery that was beginning three years ago has faltered, and people across the electorate are worse off than they were then. As soon as this current coalition government got in into power, they made decisions that put us in a worse position, for example by giving large tax breaks to tobacco companies and landlords. We’ve been paying for these ever since, and it left us in a position where we had no reserves to cope with shocks like recent weather damage or the fuel price increases.
Provincial life in NZ is really affected by fuel prices; we need a government that will make the decisions to reduce our economic reliance on imported fossil fuels and support us through the transition. Many of our young and skilled people have left for Australia because of the lack of jobs here; we’ve seen business in our electorate close up shop.
And our electorate is really feeling the effects of climate change, with increased storm frequency and intensity causing unprecedented damage to our roads. We can’t afford to keep our heads in the sand about it; we need to work together to build our resilience.
What do you enjoy about your electorate?
It’s such a privilege to be a candidate for this electorate, because I absolutely love it. I love the natural environment, from the rugged coastline to the farms and forests of the king country, and all the spectacular limestone landscape. But it’s the interaction with the people of the electorate that have left a lasting impact. People working to make their communities and environments better. There is such a depth of history here, thinking of the histories I’ve learned from Maniapoto, Raukawa and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura in particular. I’m pretty lucky to get to travel around and work in this electorate!
The Taranaki-King Country seat has been held by a National MP since its formation in 1996. Do you think this presents challenges running as a Labour MP? If so, how will you deal with these challenges?
It’s definitely time for a change! It was nearly won by Labour in 2020, so there are folk out there who have voted for the Labour candidate in the past. And I think we all sense that this year is different. The current National Party is not the National Party of the 90s or even the 2010s. We’ve seen major changes forced through under urgency that have caused so much unnecessary division. So many “culture wars” have stoked by the government, while the cost of living crisis has worsened. I certainly haven’t met people out there who are satisfied with the current government, or believe that their current MP is a strong advocate for them. I firmly believe the people of Taranaki-King Country deserve a representative who will stand up for them in parliament. Nothing will change for the better if the same National candidate is elected yet again. So I’m quietly confident we’ll see a change this year.
Thinking about Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole, what issues do you think matter most to young people?
In the short term it’s got to be the pressing money issues; the cost of rent and groceries and power and transport. It’s hard to balance all of that when just starting out in the workforce or while studying! And for those who are studying, it must feel like you are constantly going backwards when you are paying for fees on top of everything else, while being more limited in how much you can work. This is all tied in with job opportunities too; it’s easier to tolerate the current money pains if you have confidence that there is plenty of opportunity for well-paid jobs in the future. But I also see young people actively engaged in issues outside themselves, and that gives me real hope for the future. Whether it is on environmental issues, the importance of te ao Māori, LGBTQI+ rights, or wider human rights, young people are usually the ones leading us.
Are there any issues in politics that you think don’t get enough attention?
I’m biased, but I personally think conservation doesn’t get enough attention. I believe our native plants and animals and our landscapes are a core part of our identity. They are unique to us, and I think politicians constantly underestimate how much we care about these things. The recent response to the conservation amendment act shows how much we care. Conservation funding always ends getting cut back, and is usually at the end of the queue for top ups when funding is available. I would love to see a government take conservation seriously and invest in it both for our direct benefit but also because it brings international money into the country.
What are your main concerns with the state of politics in Aotearoa New Zealand?
It’s not just that we are divided, it’s that we have completely different “facts” that we are starting from. Mis- and dis-information have made it very difficult for people to make informed decisions. If some of the conspiracy theories were true, I could understand why people get so worked up about things. But they are not true, yet we are limited in our ability to be able to provide people with convincing evidence to correct misunderstandings. Some parties benefit from this situation, because they can whip up support by appealing to people’s underlying fears. I don’t have all the solutions, but pulling away from evidence-based decision making and ignoring expert advice is making things worse.
What are your thoughts on the Conservation Amendment Bill?
It’s a shambles and a travesty. What the Minister has said publically about it does not align at all with the wording of the bill. It’s not clear to me if that is deliberate or due to the fact that the Minister has not closely read the bill that has been put forward. The issue is not just the sale of conservation lands, but the addition of a purpose clause that utterly subverts the whole purpose of the act. It would no longer be a Conservation Act, but an Economic Development of Public Land Act. I’m watching closely how this develops. The people of New Zealand have clearly stated they do not support it; it’s on the government now to withdraw and completely re-write the bill.
What would you say to someone not concerned about conservation, or the environment as a whole?
The environment is what gives us life. We don’t have a society, let alone an economy, without a healthy environment. We are already seeing the local impacts of extreme weather because of how we have failed to address climate change globally. Freshwater quality is a crisis level in New Zealand, where we can no longer swim or fish in the streams that we used to as kids. Conservation of plant and animal species is just the next step in the care for the environment: these species are indicates of environmental health, and in turn they provide critical ecosystem services that keep the environment healthy.
And the relationship between the environment and the economy is doubly true for us in NZ, because our international brand is also dependant on our healthy environment. No-one buys our meat and milk because they love the idea of these products sitting on ships at sea for week; they buy them because of what images and feelings are conjured up when they hear the name “New Zealand”. Genuine environmental action is what is needed to ensure our country continues to be successful for the next generation and the generation after.
Do you see your previous work in science as completely unrelated to politics, or are there overlaps in the field?
It’s not unrelated, and I think politics and science can build on each other positively. Science is not sufficient in itself – and neither is politics. I think we need scientists in parliament just as we need social workers and economists and medical professionals. More important than just “science” is the need for politicians to know how to make evidence-based decisions, and to understand how the generation of robust new knowledge is critical for the survival of society. For myself personally, my scientific training gives me a framework for evaluating evidence and arguments, and gives me the confidence to read and critique large complex documents.
Has your work in ecology shaped your views in politics? In the world?
Yes definitely. Ecology is all about the interconnections between everything and how energy/resources flow between different sections of the environment. So that perspective helps when taking a step back to look at the bigger picture of how societies function, and how global geopolitics influences life here in NZ.
What do politicians need to do for the environment?
Our laws set the rules and the playing field for our society. Nothing is neutral; all laws have a positive or negative impact, whether intentional or not. So as politicians we need to be aware of this fact, and ask the awkward questions about what the true impact of our policies will be. It’s obvious when it comes to environmental laws and policies, but we need to learn to see the environmental context and consequences of all our policies, and strive for positive impacts on our environment at all times.
How can young people get their voices heard in politics?
Firstly, I’ve been super impressed with how strong the voice of young people has been in recent years. Keep doing what you are doing; it’s working.
But of course the key is for young people to enrol to vote as soon as they can, and then vote when the time comes. And then let politicians know that you’ve done so and that you will keep voting! In general, politicians need to know that young people are an important voting sector in order to prioritise listening to them. I wish it wasn’t that way, but that’s the current playing field. Reaching out to politicians to talk to them is an important step; don’t let it just be old folks and CEOs that bother to email their local politicians!
Do you think that politicians need to do more to engage with young people?
Any politician that doesn’t is limiting their reach and longevity in politics. But beyond just engaging, I believe that politicians need to be much more focused on the futures of young people. That’s how we’ll make progress on the big sticky issues. Short term thinking doesn’t get us where we need to go.
What are your views on the removal of fees free?
The whole fees-free programme has been messed up by this government. The purpose of the free first year was to reduce the barrier to giving tertiary education a try. Switching it to the last year changed that purpose (while definitely providing benefit to many). But worse was then just scrapping it entirely. Constantly changing it doesn’t help anyone, especially when so many have made critical life decisions based on the fees free policy. Personally I believe that investing in the education of young people (and older people returning to education) pays off for the economy very quickly, especially when there are also jobs available for graduating students.
Some people with left-wing views feel that Labour is not doing enough to counter the right-wing ideals of the coalition, or that it is “too centrist”. What would you say to those people?
Politicians are driven by voters, even if large donors and lobbying can have an influence too. Because politics is literally a popularity contest, the government reflects (or is supposed to reflect) the views of those who vote. And those who don’t vote have a huge impact too. So we need the people of New Zealand to counter the right-wing ideals of the coalition, and turn up to vote that way. That’s how a left-wing government gets their mandate to lead. And that’s how we reduce the influence of the right-wing. Our parliament is mostly reflective of the views of the people, apart from the influence of smaller parties that can be exaggerated in our MMP system. In Labour, we didn’t get enough support to be able to lead the government in 2023. If this year’s election gives us the signal that NZ wants to see strong left-wing policies, then the incoming government will be able to respond to that. This is a simplification of it, but hopefully helps.
Why should someone vote for Labour as opposed to Greens, Te Pāti Māori, or Opportunity?
I’m a hopeless romantic, so I hope people vote in line with their values, and vote for a party that they believe will best represent them. But strategic voting is a reality too, and in this election we have to keep in mind that the current National party has been far too easily swayed by their two much smaller coalition partners. So in voting this year we have to consider not only voting in line with which party we want to see, but also how that will enable a left-wing coalition to form a government ahead of a right-wing coalition. In MMP, your party vote counts in the short term if you vote for a party that will end up in parliament, so that your vote boosts their numbers. If you vote for a party that doesn’t end up in parliament, then you might send a signal for future elections, but it doesn’t make a contribution in this election. So I would argue that you need to give your party vote to a party that will definitely be there in parliament and will be in a left-wing coalition. For your electorate vote, in Taranaki-King Country, it’s really just been a two-horse race between Labour and National. It’s an uphill challenge for a Labour candidate to win in Taranaki-King Country; all left-wing votes that don’t go to the Labour candidate essentially are votes to ensure the National candidate wins again.
Why should someone in the Taranaki-King Country electorate vote for you?
Beyond the strategic answer as I’ve described above, there are two other compelling reasons why I believe they should vote for me. Firstly, we are most likely to see a Labour-led government in this next term. A Labour representative from Taranaki-King Country will have a seat at the table in the next government; a National MP will have to take a back seat.
But secondly, and most importantly, I believe I can be a much more effective advocate for the people of Taranaki-King Country than our current MP. Our current MP is well connected with the dairy industry, whereas I have connections with not just the agricultural and horticultural sectors, but also in conservation and tourism, in te ao Māori, in small businesses, and in education. I don’t see Taranaki-King Country as a dairy farming monolith, but a vibrant, diverse, community where farmers are doing the tough conservation work and Māori are driving business innovations (and many more examples). I don’t belittle and disenfranchise whole sections of the community like this government has, or drive wedges between different sectors. I believe that we are better when we work together, and when we bravely face future challenges together rather than pretending they don’t exist. I’ll be your advocate and someone you can talk to about the changes you’d like to see. It’s time for change.
