Kelvin Glen Davis (born 2 March 1967) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the House of Representatives who has served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party since 1 August 2017.
A former teacher, Davis served as a list MP from 2008 to 2011 and again in 2014. He won the electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in the 2014 election. Davis was elected as Labour Deputy Leader two months before the 2017 election, becoming the first deputy of Māori descent in the Labour Party. Currently, the third-ranked member of the Sixth Labour Government, Davis serves as the Minister of Corrections, Minister for Children, Minister for Māori Crown Relations, and Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education).
Early life
Born in Kawakawa on 2 March 1967, and raised in the Bay of Islands, Davis affiliates to the Ngāpuhi iwi. He received his secondary education at the Bay of Islands College in Kawakawa from 1980 to 1984. He obtained a Diploma of Teaching from Auckland College of Education (1985–1987) and taught at Koru School in Māngere (1988–1990) and Bay of Islands Intermediate School in Kawakawa (1991–1993), before becoming principal of Karetu School near Kawakawa (1994–1998). He then worked for the Education Advisory Service (1998–1999) and the education improvement and development project Te Putahitanga Matauranga (2000). He was principal of Kaitaia Intermediate School from 2001 to 2007.
Member of Parliament
First term, 2008–2011
In the 2008 general election Davis stood for the Labour Party in the Te Tai Tokerau seat after being recruited by Labour MP Shane Jones. Davis failed to unseat the incumbent Hone Harawira of the Māori Party, but was elected to the 49th New Zealand Parliament by way of the party list. The Fifth Labour Government was defeated in the election and, in his first term, Davis was assigned opposition portfolios as the Labour spokesperson for biosecurity and associate spokesperson for education, Māori affairs and tourism. He was a member of the Māori affairs committee.
Harawira left the Māori Party in early 2011, formed the Mana Party and resigned from parliament to seek a fresh mandate in a by-election for Te Tai Tokerau. Davis ran for Labour, but Harawira retook the seat. Davis stood for the seat in the November 2011 general election, but placed second to Harawira for a third time and also failed to re-enter parliament from the party list. Davis announced his retirement from politics and took up a job with the Ministry of Education in Kaitaia, working in Māori education.
Return to Parliament, 2014
Davis was re-selected as Labour's candidate in Te Tai Tokerau for the September 2014 general election. Shane Jones then resigned from Parliament months prior to the election, and Davis assumed his place in the House of Representatives on 23 May 2014, as he was by then the highest-ranking non-MP on Labour's 2011 party list. He became Labour's associate spokesperson for corrections.
Second term, 2014–2017
Harawira's party formed a coalition with the Kim Dotcom-founded Internet Party for the 2014 election. This resulted in Davis getting endorsements from Winston Peters of New Zealand First party and the Prime Minister, John Key of the National Party. Even the candidate for the Māori Party, Te Hira Paenga, reminded voters of the importance of strategic voting. Davis won the seat, ousting Harawira and ending the representation of the Mana Party in Parliament.
Davis became Labour's corrections spokesperson. In 2015, he criticised private prison provider Serco's management of inmates, alleging 'corruption' at the Mount Eden remand facility. Following an inquiry, Serco lost its contract to run the facility and Minister of Corrections Sam Lotu-Iiga was relieved of his post. Davis also criticized the Australian government for its incarceration of New Zealand expatriates facing deportation. Davis has also drawn attention to the disproportionately high number of Māori in the New Zealand prison system, with Māori comprising 50.9% of the prison population despite making up just 15% of New Zealand's population.
On 1 August 2017, Davis was appointed Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, serving under Jacinda Ardern. On 1 September 2017, Ardern corrected Davis after he publicly said that Labour would campaign on a capital gains tax policy during the 2020 general election rather than implementing it mid-term. On 19 September, Davis indicated that he was willing to sacrifice his position as Deputy Prime Minister in order for Labour to form a coalition government with either New Zealand First or the Green Party.