New Zealand Labour Party Regroups with New Leadership

Still licking its wounds from last Saturday's general election loss, the New Zealand Labour party elected Phil Goff as its new leader with Annette King as his deputy. David Cunliffe will act as Labour's finance spokesperson.

Goff served as Minister of Defence and of Trade in the outgoing government. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs until 2005 when NZ First's Winston Peters took the portfolio.

Former Prime Minister and Labour leader Helen Clark will serve as Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson while Dr Michael Cullen, former Minister of Finance, will be the Shadow Leader of the House.

At a post-election caucus, Labour farewelled ousted MPs and welcomed 13 new ones.

The new list MPs are former race relations commissioner Rajen Prasad, 28-year-old policy adviser Jacinda Ardern, Auckland lawyer Raymond Huo, former Oxfam global head of policy Phil Twyford, 31-year-old part-Tongan part-Samoan primary school teacher Carmel Sepuloni, former prime minister Walter Nash's great grandson Stuart Nash, school principal Kelvin Davis and unionist Carol Beaumont.

New electorate MPs are Clare Curran in Dunedin South, Grant Robertson in Wellington Central, Chris Hipkins in Rimutaka, Iain Lees-Galloway in Palmerston North, and Brendon Burns in Christchurch Central.