Venkat Raman
Auckland, May 19, 2023
The Labour Party has announced that it has chosen George Hampton as the candidate to contest from the North Shore electorate in the ensuing general election.
A former diplomat, an executive in the United Nations and a former administrator in the government service, Mr Hampton said that he will carry the voice of his Party Leader Christopher Hipkins to his people.
He said that he is standing for Labour because, “I believe that we all deserve to live in a world where everyone gets a fair go, no one suffers in poverty and we all have the opportunity to thrive.
“I will work hard to win the seat and give local people a strong voice inside a Chris Hipkins’ government that is acting on the cost of living and has the best policies and plans to make life easier for families,” he said.
Association with North Shore
Mr Hampton said that he has worked for New Zealand and the Planet and that he is keen to get things done for the people in North Shore.
“I want to be a strong advocate for all New Zealanders,” he said.
Mr Hampton said that his family has a long-standing association with the North Shore and that he had always liked to explore the tunnels at North Head and walk along Narrow Neck.
“The floods and the cyclone show how serious things are. North Shore deserves an MP who can work with the Council on their behalf and get things done to benefit Shore residents. Labour is taking action both on recovery efforts and in advancing critical projects for Auckland, like bringing forward the construction of the second harbour crossing to 2029,” he said.
He said that the private sector is critical to the success of New Zealand.
“From the Covid response to Budget 2023, Labour has supported Kiwi businesses when they needed help,” he said.
About George Hampton
A Columbia and Harvard-educated Fulbright Scholar, George Hampton is a former diplomat. He worked as Deputy Ambassador in Austria and was in former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s team that worked in her bid to become the UN Secretary-General.
Before returning to New Zealand, he was working for the United Nations on global renewable energy projects and policy (from 2018).
Mr Hampton has owned a number of small businesses, has served on boards of directors and studied at Harvard Business School. In 2015 he led a team to win a Columbia University entrepreneurship award and was named a New Zealand Future Leader by the University of Auckland Business School in 2006. He is co-owner of Mr Whippy New Zealand.
He is married with a new baby daughter and is one of seven children from a Labour family. His parents were both the first generation of their families to go to University and have worked for change throughout their lives.
