MP Louisa Wall

2022 - 3 - 30

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Image courtesy of "The Spinoff"

Louisa Wall got things done. How many of her colleagues can say ... (The Spinoff)

Her departure should have her fellow MPs considering how much they've achieved in their own political careers.

It’s a fair question to ask of those MPs, especially when we consider Wall’s career and the long list of career eulogy virtues she’s inspired this week. It would’ve been easy to coast on name recognition and slick public performance, extending the life of the profile enjoyed in her previous career. She was a childhood hero to me as a netballer but departs parliament a hero to many. You can see how we end up with the idea of career politicians, selected and trained from a young age. Will there ever be another Louisa Wall? Based on the bouquets she’s received over the last few days, she seems to be exactly the type of MP we want to see – doggedly committed to her constituents and prepared to sacrifice career progression to do what’s right. Prior to that, before the time of national unity and compliance as a literal lifesaver, before we found so much comfort in the same three to four ministers reassuring us at the podium, would breaking ranks be such a big deal? The last few shambolic years of the National Party have given us spectacular insight into the importance of party unity and candidate selection and vetting processes. The risk of having your head shot off if you raise it above the parapet has increased. The reason for Wall’s retirement has been well covered, her sometimes difficult relationship with the Labour Party well examined and her legacy, well acknowledged. Bridges was out of step with the national mood and Clark committed the crime of being seen as hypocritical. As an electorate MP until the 2020 election she served Manurewa. She has also served the bigger constituencies of the queer community, and women. Henry Cooke at Stuff has written about Wall’s career and about politics as a team sport.

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Image courtesy of "thedailyblog.co.nz"

Dr Bryce Edwards' NZ Politics Daily Political Roundup: Why Louisa ... (thedailyblog.co.nz)

Since announcing her retirement on Tuesday, MP Louisa Wall has been heralded as a great maverick who progressed important social legislation by operating ...

The fact that Wall announced her retirement so abruptly, in the middle of the parliamentary term and, along with her colleagues has refused to answer any questions about it certainly seems to point to some sort of “non disclosure agreement” between Wall and the Government. As Ben Thomas writes today: “A major parliamentary party full of Louisa Walls would be unmanageable, and possibly incoherent to the voting public. It is not insignificant that Wall lost the confidence of practically her whole party, seemingly at every level – from the leader down to her own electorate membership. After all, there are many honourable examples of this, including the likes of Jim Anderton, Winston Peters, Tariana Turia and Hone Harawira. But in the case of Wall, she chose to both stay and try to operate more as an Independent. This meant eschewing the traditional route of championing a cause, winning over the party, and then campaigning amongst the public for support to make the reform. As one of the MPs willing to speak out when warranted prepares to leave Parliament, we are all the poorer for it.” In the United Kingdom this level of rebellion would barely raise an eyebrow, but in New Zealand it is a serious breach of decorum.” She once explained her way of operating as an individual like this: “If you give me the ball, don’t tell me how to run the ball. He argued politicians are the experts and should be trusted as individuals to come to the right decisions on a case-by-case basis. Burke essentially wanted Parliaments to be full of Independents. And in reality, Louisa Wall often acted as an Independent rather than a member of the Labour Party. This meant that at times she was not seen as a team player. There is, however, a different view of Wall’s parliamentary career, and it’s one that is more likely to be found amongst Wall’s own political side. Since announcing her retirement on Tuesday, MP Louisa Wall has been heralded as a great maverick who progressed important social legislation by operating outside of the usual Labour Party structures.

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Image courtesy of "The Miracle Tech"

Dr. Bryce Edwards' NZ Politics Daily Political Roundup: Why Louisa ... (The Miracle Tech)

Since announcing her retirement on Tuesday, MP Louisa Wall has been heralded as a great vagabond, working outside normal Labor Party structures to advance.

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