Kate Sutton

The Herald has a nice interview with Labour candidate (and party vice-president) Kate Sutton. Kate talks about her current job:

So here she is in Landco’s 28th floor suite, hired for her command of public policy issues, Auckland growth problems, local government and potential public-private partnerships.

Besides Stonefields, the company is doing a development at Long Bay on North Shore and Ngunguru in Northland where she is negotiating a land swap with the Department of Conservation.

“Developers can be seen as bad guys,” she says, “but there are some developers out there who are working for the good of communities.”

It is her job to help convince communities of this.

“But I have to believe it. It is not a spin job – I couldn’t do that.”

Not too many Labour candidates would work for property developers! Labour will be stronger if more of their candidates have worked in the private sector – at least for a while. I’ve worked for Government, in private sector, for a charity and for myself and you learn and need very different skills in each situation.

TVNZ7 has an Epsom debate on tonight – Kate is the only non MP, appearing with Rodney Hide, Richard Worth and Keith Locke.