Laila Harre

Laila Harre

Laila Harre is a New Zealand activist. She is married to Barry Gribben.

Background

Born Fiji, moved to NZ at 9. In 1981 she protested the Springbok tour of NZ, with her mother. She was 15 at the time.

Elected as an Alliance Party list MP in 1996, she was the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Youth Affairs, Statistics and the Associate Minister of Labour and Commerce in the 1999-2002 Labour-Alliance government.

Labour Youth

1986-87 Labour Party Youth Rep, Auckland.

During the '80s she dated fellow labour activist John Pagani for a while.

Nicaragua

1987 early, Laila Harre went to Nicaragua as member of Harry Holland Brigade picking coffee.

On 20th Feb. 1987 Harre was one of 5 members of recent brigade to Nicaragua (left in late Dec), spoke at Auckland meeting. The brigade (23 members) spent 3 weeks coffee picking at Matagalpa, then a week in Managua where the met unionists and the Sandinista Youth Organisation.

Pacific Conference for Peace & Justice

Harre was a Sector workshop organiser (Labour Party) at South Pacific Conference for Peace & Justice in Central America 18-19 July, 1987 Wellington.

WILPF

In 1987, as a 21 year old final year BA/LLB student at Auckland University, Harre was awarded the Disarmament Internship, annual award of WILPF to study disarmament issues in Geneva & New York under the aegis of WILPF. Harre "is particularly concerned with questions of development and resources allocation especially as these affect women in the process of change . . . and of a more just distribution of resources worldwide."

NLP

In 1990 Harre was a member of 10 person New Labour Party Campaign Committee.

1991 - NLP National Executive member & Party vice-president, Auckland.

1991 - July 19-21, contact for NLP "Eco-nomics - Jobs & the Environment" conference held on this date.

1991 Sept 23, Surveyed by Communist Party of New Zealand's People's Voice on whether they support the "Day of Action". She did. Stated "I believe our best hope for building a mass movement is to unite around a common principled platform, and that's what the [multi-party] alliance offers."

1992 - spoke at NLP seminar on Industrial Relations on 9 June at Auckland's TUC. NLP spokesperson on industrial relations and lawyer for NDU.

Alliance Party

1992 Stood for Auckland Regional Services Trust for the Alliance Party. Has worked for the Alliance and as Executive Assistant to the Minister of Disarmament (Probably Fran Wilde).

1993 - AP candidate - Te Atatu.

1996 No 8 on Alliance Party list, Waipereira industrial relations lawyer NLP.

2002 - on AP parlliamentary list no. 1.

Maiden speech

From Harre's maiden speech in Parliament.

The Alliance seeks to deepen and to broaden democracy. Whether it has been the destruction of worker organisations, the gutting of local government, or the transfer of decisions about the allocation of essential goods and services to international financiers, the new right project has dangerously narrowed the scope of politics and it is through politics that we can control our lives.

The language of individual endeavour, of independence, and self-reliance all deeply entrenched New Zealand values has been twisted to serve the interests of an increasingly authoritarian State. Commerce may have been deregulated but the targeting of benefits and the bureaucratisation of health and education have seen an explosion in the regulation of ordinary human activities and the burgeoning of the nosy rather than the caring State.

To quote the words of one of what is becoming an avalanche of critics of the capture of civil society, John Ralston Saul said: The way out for the citizenry is always the same: their language our language must be reclaimed from the structures of conventional wisdom and expertise. Populations know from experience that change can only come through what will seem at first to be outrageous statements, provocation, and a stubborn refusal to accept the calm, controlling formulae of conventional wisdom. I say Go to it, Pam Corkery.

"Education, Employment and Globalisation"

1997 - listed as speaker on employment at Victoria University Conference "Education, Employment and Globalisation"

Closing the pay gap

Closing the pay gap Thursday, 22 May 2003, 1:31 pm. Press Release: New Zealand Government;

Labour Minister Margaret Wilson today announced the establishment of a taskforce to progress pay and employment equity between women and men in the public service, in the public health sector and in the education sector.

The Taskforce will analyse how factors influencing pay and employment equity apply in those sectors and develop a five-year plan of action to address them. Laila Harre is one of 3 CTU reps, from New Zealand Nurses Organisation - Organising Services Manager.

NDU post

Former Associate Labour Minister Laila Harre has won the top job at the National Distribution Union. In a postal ballot of members she has defeated long-time NDU official Mike Jackson.

Eulogy to fallen communist

There was a memorial gathering for the late Bill Andersen on Thursday, 27 January 2005, at 4 pm at the Orakei Marae (Bastion Point) in Auckland, and continuing afterwards at the Orakei RSA, 178 Kepa Rd.

Bill was an outstanding communist militant and union leader who made an historic contribution to New Zealand and especially to the workers’ movement. He touched the lives of thousands of people with his determined advocacy of workers’ rights and interests and with his humble and generous approach to life. Everyone is invited to join with Bill’s family, his comrades in the Socialist Party of Aotearoa and the National Distribution Union and all his friends to celebrate the life of this extraordinary man.

The meeting began with a powhiri and was followed by a programme of speakers and songs. The speakers were Moana Jackson, Isaac Otineru, Toluono Nati Mata’afa, Laila Harre, Mike Jackson (NDU), the Andersen family, and Brendan Tuohy (Socialist Party of Aotearoa).

Laila Harre read a eulogy to Bill Andersen of the Socialist Party of Aotearoa, at Bastion Point 17.1.05.

It is truly an honour to have been asked by Bill’'s family and Party to reflect here on his contribution. Knowing Bill’'s capacity for love, I can only imagine the sense of loss for those closest to him: Jennifer, whose leadership and dedication Bill respected hugely; our comrades Karl and Glenn; Rochelle the grandchildren, and our friends, Sheryl, Stan and Gloria, Donna and others closest to Bill and Jennifer.

Workers Charter conference

Matt McCarten, John Minto and Socialist Worker hosted a “Workers Charter” meeting Saturday October 11 2006, in Auckland.

The Workers Charter Movement was the embryo of a new left wing political party, modeled on the successful British “Respect” coalition and the less successful Australian Socialist Alliance. It was also a co-ordinating body for militant union trade union activity. The “movement” published a “Workers Charter” newspaper.

This Saturday, 7th October, starts 11am

Auckland Trades Hall 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn

11 – 11.10am Welcome from chair (Daphne Lawless).

11.10am – 12.30pm – Workers Charter, a paper for the movement – introduced by John Minto (editorial) & Bronwyn Summers (financial).

1.30 – 3pm – Unions in the 21st century – intro by Laila Harre (NDU), Andrew Little (EPMU), Sue Bradford (Green MP), Mengzhu (Radical Youth) and Joe Carolan (unionist & socialist).

3.15 – 4pm – Human Rights for Workers campaign – introduced by Vaughan Gunson (unionist & socialist) and Eliana Darroch (Radical Youth).

4pm – 4.30 pm – Graham Matthews, Australian unionist.

4.30 – 4.45pm – election of expanded, national editorial board of Workers Charter paper.

4.45 – 5.30pm – Climaction Day (4 November) to build a campaign for

System Change, Not Climate Change. Speaker(s) to be confirmed.

Graham Matthews was a National Committee member of Australia’s largest Marxist-Leninist organisation, the Democratic Socialist Perspective. He had also been in recent years, NSW and Victorian convener for the Socialist Alliance.

Daphne Lawless, Vaughan Gunson and Joe Carolan were all members of NZ’s largest Trotskyite group, Socialist Worker, which effectively has sister party ties to the DSP and Socialist Alliance.

It was significant that Green Party MP Sue Bradford supported the meeting. When Bradford was in the Workers Communist League, her group had very close ties to the DSP’s fore-runner, the Socialist Workers Party.

Laila Harre and Andrew Little also participated. Harre as head of the Socialist Party of Aotearoa dominated, NDU, (which heavily backed the Workers Charter) has a long history of involvement with the far left and is a close friend and business partner of the Green’s Russel Norman.

Little, head of the Engineers Union, had strongly supported the NDU’s recent industrial battle with Progressive Enterprise.

NZ Committee to Free the Cuban Five

Circa 2009, the list of Initiating Members and Supporters of the New Zealand Committee to Free the Cuban Five, included Laila Harre National Secretary, National Distribution Union, Auckland. (Former NZ Cabinet Minister).

US Embassy letter/Cuban 5

On 6 April 2009 US Embassy in Wellington refused to accept a hand delivered letter from MPs, City Councillors, trade unionists, church leaders,academics and other New Zealanders calling on the US Government not to oppose the petition to the US Supreme Court for the release of the Cuban 5.

An attempt to deliver the letter was made by Wellington City Councillor, Ray Ahipene-Mercer and Secretary of the Weliington Cuba Friendship Society Gillian Magee but US Embassy Guards said they would not accept a hand delivered letter.

Dear Attorney General Holder

We, the undersigned New Zealanders are writing this letter to you on the eve of the US Government submitting a brief in response to the 30 January 09 petition to the Supreme Court and the twelve separate amicus curiae briefs that were filed in the US Supreme Court on 6 March 2009 regarding the unjust incarceration of five Cuban citizens - Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, René González Sehweret, Ramón Labañino Salazar, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez and Fernando González Llort - known as the Cuban 5.

We urge the United States Government to acknowledge that a complete miscarriage of justice has taken place regarding the Cuban 5 and to support, rather than oppose, a review of the conviction by the Supreme Court. We urge you to immediately release the Cuban 5.

Signatories included Laila Harre.

Green Party

Since leaving parliament in 2002, Harre has been a prominent figure in the trade union movement and worked in a policy-related position with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Internet Party

In May 2014, the Internet Party and Mana Party confirmed their alliance ahead of September's election and the formation of a new political party, Internet Mana.

Mana leader Hone Harawira had previously said who the Internet Party selected as its leader would be an important consideration in any deal between the two parties.

However, he said when announcing the deal with the Internet Party that the leader was a person "of calibre".

The Internet Party leader, Laila Harre will get the number two spot on the Internet Mana party list, with Mr Harawira in the top spot.

References

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