Labour MP Reuben Davidson has poured his blood, sweat and tears into making green goo for children’s television.
Christchurch East MP Reuben Davidson is a fresh Labour Party frontbencher on the up. He’s managed more in his first term than your typical parliamentary newbie, having recently picked up the party’s economic development portfolio (alongside his existing media and science portfolios) and being trusted to take senior ministers like Paul Goldsmith to task in the debating chamber. And if you ask Davidson whether he feels like an MP on the rise, he’s already got a perfectly politically balanced response up his sleeve: “I think the Labour team are on the rise.”
All things considered, it’s definitely a good thing that the quick-witted and quietly confident Davidson has managed to leave his office mid-shift and enjoy an alcoholic ginger beer across the road at Huxley’s. Should Labour pull off a victory at the polls come November, Davidson’s life could be set to get even busier, though you could say he’s used to dealing with circuses and monkeys. His first big-boy job out of university was working on Mikey Havoc and Jeremy Wells’ satirical television series Havoc, and from there began a two-decade-long career in the media, working largely with children and animals – which helped Davidson realise he was “perfect for politics”.
Prior to entering parliament, Davidson was taking care of far more important things for this nation: children’s television. He created the dearly missed Fanimals, worked on the Alex Casey-approved Brain Busters and spent seven years as a producer on the beloved Sunday morning show What Now. His past life saw him spending many a late Saturday night sitting in the loading docks of various motels across the motu hand-mixing 44-gallon drums of What Now’s infamous gunge, to get the recipe just right.
Despite valiant past efforts by The Spinoff to uncover the secret recipe to What Now’s gunge, the full official recipe has still never seen the light of day. In a way, it’s kinda like KFC’s 11 secret herbs and spices, “but it’s much better for you”. Before you ask, no, Davidson has never been gunged himself, and he’s not going to tell you how to make it at home. Which is a good sign of his political abilities, if you think about it: if you can keep a secret as major as this one, you probably can be trusted to keep the secrets of the state quiet, too.
So, in what other ways does experimenting with green goo translate to parliament? “Children’s TV is inherently political. It’s contestable funding, you have to do a lot of research and really understand your audience, and work to really ensure that you’re serving them,” Davidson explains. But the media environment has also become a different beast since he left the industry.
“What we’re seeing now is huge challenges to the ability to retain plurality of media in New Zealand,” he says. “I’m not necessarily saying we’re going to be able to throw millions of dollars into the industry to make it work. It’s about understanding the challenges, getting future-proof stuff in place around things like the impacts of artificial intelligence, around the viability of local sustainable media, so we can still tell our own stories and enjoy them.”
It’s not just the media industry that Davidson sees crying out for change. “I do feel like there’s a real hunger in both communities and industries for a better plan,” Davidson says. “And it’s got to be more than just hope, which is kind of what people are being asked to do at the moment.” Hoping to retain his electorate seat in November, Davidson says he’s “loving” the conversations he’s already had on the ground in Christchurch East and reckons there’s a strong amount of youth support behind his campaign.
Before we depart, there’s something I need to pick Davidson’s brain about. In 2024, The Spinoff ranked the top 100 locally made television shows from the 21st century – and since he’s a big TV guy, Davidson should have a pretty good pick for his top five too, right? So here it is, in no particular order (and with me forgetting to specify that the shows should be from the 21st century): Country Calendar (a classic), Shortland Street (“it just keeps on going”), What Now (that’s a given), Gloss (“our original soap”) and Havoc (“a lot of fun, and a lot of trouble”). Not a bad list for someone who grew up in a TV-less household.
THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A
How much should a pint cost?
I’d like to think that you should be able to get a good pint of beer for 10 bucks.
Do you have a karaoke go-to?
‘Oh! Darling’ by The Beatles was one of my favourites. I used to do a lot of karaoke. Recently, a friend was having a karaoke birthday party, and they hired a room within a venue, and when I arrived they said the party’s either in room 7 or 8. And I said you have to tell me which one it is, because one of the things with karaoke is that you really need to just do it in front of friends. And the idea of walking into someone else’s karaoke party? [Shakes head]
Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?
[Christchurch’s] Richmond Club. You hear a lot of stories about, you know, the club model not working anymore in communities, but the Richmond Club absolutely does. It’s got a restaurant, it’s got squash courts, it’s got a sports bar, it’s got a cafe and bistro, it’s got a function room, it’s got an outdoor area with a kids’ playground. And it’s got a really amazing team who just make it work, and it’s always full of people.
Which three MPs would be on your pub quiz team?
Cush[la Tangere-Manuel, Labour MP]; we came [into parliament] in the same year, so we’re classmates. She’s head girl, I’m head boy. I’m going to say, from the Nats, Judith Collins; she’s very funny, but she also knows where all the bodies are buried, and I think she’d probably be able to share a few interesting things now that she’s retiring. And then I’m gonna go with [Green MP] Steve Abel – he’s a very smart guy.
Which MP from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?
Winston Peters. I mean, that’s the ultimate, right? Winston entered parliament the year I was born – that was 48 years ago. It would be a long drink, I’m guessing.
Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?
We’re in the process of changing one at the moment. It would be good to see that changed in time for the opening of the new Christchurch stadium. [Since The Spinoff spoke with Reuben Davidson, parliament passed Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s amendments to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act allowing premises already open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning and Christmas to sell alcohol under their usual licence conditions.]
What’s a policy area we’ve been nursing without finishing the glass?
I think there’s a whole lot more we could be doing in the science, innovation and technology space. It’s hugely exciting, there’s so much opportunity, so many good people and great ideas, and the risk is that they never happen, or that they start here and go [overseas]. I think ultimately, we have a responsibility to back them so that they grow here, and people come here to contribute to them, rather than losing the best ideas away.
What qualities make a good drinking partner?
Loyalty, punctuality, and someone that’s always gonna fairly split the bill.
Have you ever had a Schnapps election moment where you regretted your political instinct?
I used to think that I should have made the transition into politics early, I used to think I should have become an MP earlier. But actually, the more time I spend as an MP and the more engagement I have with people outside of politics, the more I value the experience I had in small business, or in broadcasting and media or in governance roles outside of government. I think all of these things are really beneficial to shaping who you’re making decisions for.
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