Authors

Just Left was started by Jordan Carter in April 2004. He came back to New Zealand from an internship in London to find a blogosphere that had few centre-left voices, and none that were Labour aligned. He set out to change that through writing an opinionated, provocative blog from a Labour point of view. He invited guest authors to join him in January 2009, to provide a more interesting read and expand the range of topics covered.

Jordan Carter

Jordan works in the IT industry as a policy advocate and lobbyist. He is heavily involved with the Labour Party at an activist level in Auckland and nationally, working on Labour policy and campaigns. 

He was a candidate in the 2008 General Election in the seat of Hunua, holding a slightly better swing than the national trend against Labour, earning twice as many votes as Sir Roger Douglas, and enjoying exploring a part of the country to which he has family ties. 

His interests are widely varied in politics, including political strategy, trade and economic policy, ICT, social change and more. In his spare time he enjoys a glass of wine and hanging out with friends.

Michael Wood

Michael is 28, lives in Mt Roskill with wife Julie and 1 year old son Jacob, and has been a Labour Party activist for ten years.

He splits his week between being a stay at home Dad to Jacob, working as a union negotiator for the Finance Sector Union Finsec, Labour Party activism, an active role in the Anglican Church, and generally watching or listening to as much cricket as he can.

Politically, Michael considers himslef to be a fairly traditional social democrat, believing that free-markets deliver outcomes that are efficient, but neither democratic or equitable on the whole. Markets must therefore be a tool of humanity rather than a master - this requires an active role for the state in managing human affairs.

Particular political interests include trade unionism and the political development of the progressive christian movement.

Michael welcomes reasonable comments on anything he writes, either here at Just Left or directly to michael@semrits.co.nz

Tony Milne

I was born in Invercargill in 1981 and moved to Christchurch in 2000 to attend Canterbury University where I earned a first class honours degree in English and in Political Science.

I have stood twice for Parliament in the Rakaia electorate, worked for Tim Barnett MP in Parliament for 2 years, and worked for 3 years with key community leaders in Christchurch on behalf of five Christchurch Labour MPs and Government Ministers.

I currently work at the Problem Gambling Foundation as a health promoter working across the South Island.

I became a JP at the end of 2007, am the chair of the Riccarton Residents Association, am on the board of the Christchurch Council of Social Services and Q-topia, and am involved in several community organisations.

Jeremy Greenbrook-Held

Once described by David Farrar as a “senior member of the Labour Party”, Jeremy is in fact a member in the card carrying capacity only. Having spent seven years living in the political hot-house of Wellington Central, he recently moved to Waimauku in North West Auckland where there are generally better things to do with your time. Hearty, spiritually fulfilling things like cutting firewood.

Jeremy’s political carrier started at the age of 11 when he asked his local MP (Lockwood Smith) why he had recently raised University fees. At 13 he was elected his 3rd Form class’s representative on the Kaipara College Student Council, and successfully pushed for the construction of a pathway between the school quad and the library. The path is still used today. While he voted in all four elections (mostly for Labour), he did not stand for Parliament in 1999, 2002, 2005 or 2008. He was student president at Victoria University in 2005, where he graduated with a Master of Science (with first class honours) in demographic geography.

Jeremy is a senior manager at the Manukau Institute of Technology in South Auckland. He is married to Phoebe and has a little white car and a student loan.

Dolan

Dolan has been an active member of the Labour Party since 1998. He has held a number of roles in the party throughout that time.

He has studied politics, history and education at the University of Auckland and since 2005 he has worked for New Zealand’s largest private sector trade union – the EPMU.

Before the howls of indignation begin, he has blogged and will only ever blog in his own time. His thoughts are his own and if they bare any resemblance to those of his employer, it will be pure coincidence.

He was also, for a period in the 1990s, self employed. His thoughts and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the EMA or the Business Round Table either.

Just thought it might pay to clear that up.

Aside from politics, his interests include history, reading and a thoroughly futile obsession with a football team by the name of AS Roma.

He especially loves it when Tory trolls get nasty. So please – make his day.