Duncan Webb

Valedictories tend to follow a rough template, with MPs reflecting on what they've achieved during their time in Parliament, musing on the political mood of the country, and thanking or paying tribute to family, friends, staff, colleagues and even their political opponents.

They often begin with the reasons MPs came to want to be politicians in the first place, like Duncan Webb.

You do sometimes, I think, wonder in the hurly-burly of this place whether you have any impact at all, and I certainly know that some of my constituents wonder that as well.

So you do, but it does make you reflect on why you came here, and I suppose that's what valedictories are all about.

OK.

And yes, that's retiring MP Dr Duncan Webb tagging along.

Rory, standing in West Coast Tasman, such a good candidate.

I'm so happy to come over here and knock on some doors and talk to people and spread the good word.

And it's an accountability behind that, but there's a level of trust.

And I think the good thing about Christchurch Central is it's trusted people before from Jeffrey Palmer to David Cagle to Leanne Delzell to Tim Barnett to Duncan Webb to take positions in Wellington, sometimes lonely positions, and advocate for change that the people in Christchurch Central believe in.

And I would want to take that same sort of position in Wellington as well.

All right, time for our famous fun questions.

And I've picked, uh, Christchurch Central as one of the more interesting races, which I'm profiling for Newsroom.

Uh, sitting MP Duncan Webb of Labor is stepping down.

Labor's candidate is George Hampton, a former diplomat at the UN who's the son of prominent lawyer Nigel Hampton KC.

George Hampton tells me he doesn't consider Christchurch Central a safe Labor seat, and he's taking nothing for granted.

Uh, so National has continuity, if you like, in Christchurch Central.

Its candidate, Dale Stevens, is standing for the third time, so his name recognition is increasing.

Stevens narrowed the mar-margin from more than fourteen thousand in twenty twenty, Duncan Webb, uh, in Labor's red wave to fewer than two thousand votes three years ago.

Quite a change.

Neither closure was part of New Zealand First's proposal, sorry, New Zealand Post's proposal earlier this year to shut 21 branches across Christchurch.

The Christchurch central MP, Duncan Webb, has called the move a kick in the guts for the city.

Local politicians are also annoyed.

And in the south-west, a petition's been started opposing the closure of the only parcel pick-up location in the area at Sockburn.

chance to farewell the place.

One of the MPs who is hanging up his boots, or rather his trademark Labour red swan dry, is Dr Duncan Webb.

Webb has been a prominent presence in the debating chamber, clocking up long hours on his feet in that characteristically lawyer-like, hand-in-one-pocket style.

Rather than simply play you the audio from his valedictory speech this week, I sat down with Webb for something of an exit interview.

It's actually really nice.

I've got no portfolios, so I'm very happy to step in and just help people with policy and help people with debates and it's actually a really nice thing to do.

That was Labour's Dr Duncan Webb, outgoing MP for Christchurch Central.

You've been listening to The House, a programme made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.

chance to farewell the place.

One of the MPs who is hanging up his boots, or rather his trademark Labour red swan dry, is Dr Duncan Webb.

Webb has been a prominent presence in the debating chamber, clocking up long hours on his feet in that characteristically lawyer-like, hand-in-one-pocket style.

Rather than simply play you the audio from his valedictory speech this week, I sat down with Webb for something of an exit interview.

It's actually really nice.

I've got no portfolios, so I'm very happy to step in and just help people with policy and help people with debates and it's actually a really nice thing to do.

That was Labour's Dr Duncan Webb, outgoing MP for Christchurch Central.

You've been listening to The House, a programme made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.