It is a very interesting time, as a younger person, to be a Labour member.
I first got involved in the Labour Party on election day 1999. I had attending a speech by Helen (Labour's Invercargill campaign launch) as a reporter for my school. I was extremely impressed by Helen's ability to give a 30+ minute coherent and well structured speech without notes, and answer the questions so brilliantly; including my question about youth suicide (at the time Invercargill was facing an epidemic of youth suicides). By 1999 I had started to become interested in politics for two reasons. Firstly because I did debating, and the influence of one of our teachers who was my debating coach. She sparked in me an interest in national and world affairs, and begun to link in my mind politics and things that were right/wrong in society, and that communication (and persuasion) was a key to change those things that were wrong. And the second reason was because National closed my high school in 1998, which drove it home for me that decisions people make in Wellington can impact on me and my family and friends. Labour was a natural home for me (although the Alliance was a very close second). I was from a working class family - a family who didn't take an interest in politics, but who were union members and who took me with them when they were on strike. A family that taught me the importance of looking out for other people in our community.
After Helen's speech I put my name on a piece of paper at the back of the room, and a few days before the 1999 election I got a phone call asking if I wanted to help out. I jumped at the chance. It was a drissly November day. After dragging my mum to the polling booth first thing in the morning (and making sure she voted Labour), I spent the rest of the day helping out. My task was to go from polling booth to polling booth (a Labour stalwart was driving) collecting the Labour scrutineers forms, and dropping off morning tea and lunch. The poor National scrutineers didn't get any morning tea or lunch and looked at the food I was bringing in with longing looks. I then took the forms to a local church, which was the Labour/Mark Peck headquarters where pages and pages of scrutineer forms were laid out on tables around the church and being inputted into computers. I had no idea what it was all about, but being a curious young person, found out that this was to enable targetted doorknocking of previously canvassed Labour voters.
In 1999 there was a feeling in the air. After 9 years of pain and hurt, Labour was going to finally be elected. New Labour - New Hope. I went to the celebration party and watched the results come through. There was an expectation that Labour was going to win, but a nervousness and cercumspect. Eventually the nervousiness turned to jubilation as it became clear that Labour had won. Around 11pm, Eric Roy - the National candidate, came into the bar where we were having our victory party and conceeded to Mark. I distinctly remember how impressed I was that he fronted up, and the respect the Labour people (and Mark in particular) showed Eric. We even clapped when he came in and after his short concession speech.
But I didn't join Labour then. In fact, despite volunteering all that day, I still had no idea that political parties had 'members'. It wasn't until 2000 when I moved to Christchurch and saw a Young Labour stall at University that I realised political parties had members. And so I joined the Labour Party. A few months later I was elected to the Young Labour executive, a year later was selected as a Labour candidate in Rakaia (against Jenny Shipley - and then Brian Connell) and a few years later was working for a Christchurch Labour MP in Parliament. A very unexpected path.
Labour has been in Government the whole time I've been a member of the Labour Party. Firstly during its acendency 1999-2003, then the more challenging times from 2004 (although the whole period has been a challenge in one way or another). This is the first time that Labour has been the clear underdog. And this poses new and interesting challenges for those of us who, like me, have been members only during Labour's stongest times.
Nic and I arrived in New York on Friday night and got a yellow cab to our appartment in Manhattan (Cnr Broadway and W54th Street - just across the road from where David Letterman films). Its quite a good location - just a few minutes walk from Central Park (where we went for a run at 6am this morning), and close to Broadway, Times Square, 5th Avenue Shopping, etc. In fact we walked about 1/3 the length of Manhattan in about 1 hour today). 
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