Chiota.

I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is a bonus episode of The Front Page, a daily podcast presented by The New Zealand Herald.

Former Cabinet Minister Michael Wood will be running for the Labor Party in next year's general election.

He'll be running for the Mount Roskill seat.

The former MP's career came crashing down in twenty twenty three after he was forced to resign as Minister for Transport after it was revealed he failed to disclose his airport shares.

He resigned from the remaining ministerial portfolios after the discovery of even more shares held by his trust.

Today on the Front Page, Michael Wood joins us to launch his political comeback, discuss what he's actually learned and how he'll work to gain back the public's confidence.

So Michael, tell us your big news.

Sure, Well, I'm announcing that I'm standing for Labor in Mount Roschool in twenty twenty six.

So we're less than a year away from that general election and I'm really thrilled to have been selected as the candidate.

It's my home, it's a place I love.

I obviously served in the community as the MP and another roles in the past, and I'm ready to get into the fight and fight for the people of our community.

How did this come about?

Did you approach Labor or did Labor approach you?

Yeah, well, I'm well we joined at the hip.

Really Obviously, we lost the election in twenty twenty three, I lost the seat of Mount Roschool and since then we've just continued to work.

So we recognize that we've lost that we had some work to do.

So we've been on the ground, knocking on doors, holding meetings, talking to people, and over that time, I've been thinking quite a lot about whether this is something that I want to do or not, because you know, twenty twenty three was a very bruising experience that really put me on the floor, and I need to think about whether it was right for me, whether it was right for Labor.

And over that time I've reflected a lot, and you come to the view that what I really enjoy is fighting when I think that something is unfair, or people aren't being.

Treated well, or the community is being neglected.

And that's really led me to the point of being of wanting to stand and I'm really thrilled that the party has chosen to support me in that right.

And so did you ask them to come back into the fold or did you get a phone call from Cris being like, we really need someone from outline.

I will look Earlier this year, I indicated my interest to our local party because that's how we work.

You that the local organization has a big say in determining who was the right person to stand.

But also over that time I've kept a really good relationship and dialogue with Chris Hopkins and Hipkins and made sure that yeah, he's aware of I want what I want to do, and that he's supportive of that.

That's really important.

We want to win the election next year.

We do want to change the government, want to make Chris Hipkins a prime minister, and we need to go forward as one unit.

So great to have the local support and also the support of the party.

What have we learned about disclosing shares.

Yeah, well, look, it's pretty well known to say the very least, that that was something that I didn't do appropriately in my time in the previous when I was in government in that period.

Worst saying I did disclose those she is my failure was to not sell them as quickly as I should have and that's entirely on me massive lesson learned from my point of view that you know, when you're in one of those jobs that is all consuming, you're working ninety hours a week, you're trying to carve out bits of time to you know, be a half present dad and family, you've still got to look after those things that might seem annoying and like small jobs, they do still matter.

I didn't do that.

I apologized at the time, paid a huge professional and a massive personal cost that took me a long time to rebuild from and it's something that is a lesson that I have fully absorbed as I head into this process.

Did you make any decisions as minister with those shares in mind?

Even do you think subconsciously?

Absolutely not.

It was just something that was never particularly on my mind.

I can be absolutely clear about that.

For me being in politics, both as a local MP and in my role as minister, your job is to serve your community and to serve the country.

That's the approach I taken.

You know, in twenty twenty three when I did have to face up to these problems and face a massive about a scrutiny.

One of the things that was a small comfort in amongst that is that even while my political opponents were making this into an issue that they wanted to talk about, they never actually made an allegation that that was a way in which I would behave because.

I never would.

But when it comes to that, Thoughna, obviously you've seen that it was a massive mistake.

You should have done better.

Do you think it's good enough that you or your office were contacted no less than twelve times to sort this issue out?

I mean, how does that get under the you know, under the paperwork, so to speak.

How does that get lost?

Yeah?

Well, look, no, I've been really clear, and I'm happy to be clear again that that wasn't good enough.

That was a space that I failed in.

And you know, one of the things that I've thought about a lot over that period, and one of the things that I've learned is that you can, as an individual where something's gone wrong and it's had a big cost, you can dissect it and you can say, you know, this person should have done better and I wasn't told the right thing here, and you know this was exaggerated over there.

You just don't move forward.

If you do that, you just get caught up in a spiral of bitterness and blame.

You just got to take it on your shoulders, except that you got it wrong, apologize and then try and put things right.

Yeah, I mean, because after that happened, of course you lost the Transport ministerial portfolio and then the rest of your portfolios as well.

And you look back at that time, even googling your name, Now, what is it like to read these things about yourself, these things about your work?

What is it like being described as a disgraced former politician for example?

Yeah, well I said before that that experience in twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four really was bruising that it put me totally on on the floor.

So obviously I paid a huge price politically at that time, but I played a huge price personally as well, and that period of twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four took me to I've got to say, some pretty dark places where frankly, it was difficult to go on at times.

Because one of the things about us is people, and I think I think particularly sometimes one of the things about us as men in New Zealand is that you're you know, your standing, your status, how people view you.

It does, you do feel it, And so I can acknowledge that I made real errors at that period of time.

I can take that on the chin.

But yeah, when you hear that stuff, it's really really tough and it takes a lot of rebuilding to move on from there.

But you know, as the old saying is, it's kind of it's not the defeat that defines you.

It's what you do to get up off the floor and carry on.

So I've worked on myself over that period.

I've just tried to focus on what I can do.

You can't control what other people say.

And you know, one of the things I'll be saying to people in Mount Roscoll at this election is that I made those errors, but over a long period of time.

I'm someone who's focused on our community.

I've got things done for Mount Roscoll, and I'm ready to fight on all of the things that our community needs someone to represent them on and fight for.

Now.

And you've got your share portfolio printed and ready to go, for.

Sure, I have no shoe portfolio now.

Those shares but that was so many problems were sold.

The proceeds were given to charity.

You know, that is a lesson that I've fully absorbed.

I was both angry and also incredibly frustrated.

These are conversations that I've been having with Michael over several weeks, and to I only learn of these yesterday when repeatedly, through numerous conversations, I've asked him if there are other issues that I should be aware of, and he has said no, that's beyond frustrating.

How do you think, because obviously going into twenty twenty six, going to the election, like I said, the first thing that comes up when you google your name is the situation that happened in twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four.

How do you think, how will you gain Kiwi's trust?

If somebody comes up to you, You're on a street corner, you're doing a street corner chat, and they come up to you and say, but weren't you the bloke who did this?

You know, how do you gain that trust back?

Yeah?

Well, what I tend to find with people is that you know, people are reasonable and forgiving if you're open and straight with them.

We've all made mistakes in our lives, all of us.

That was mine, It's just that mine is a lot more on the public record than many people, so you need to acknowledge that, be really clear about it.

But my focus is on winning a mandate and support in Mount Ross School, and so what I'll talk to those people about is what actually matters in our community.

Stuff like the fact that huge parts of our community are a wasteland because housing investment has been stopped.

We have a huge amount of homelessness, We have people who have massive issues with a lack of support for the fact that their properties keep flooding, and that My record in Mount Rosschool has been to go into bat and fight on that stuff and win stuff and achieve things.

And in my ministerial role, yep, you might look that up and those bad stories come up, but I'm proud of the fact that actually there was a lot of big good stuff that I got over the line because I do go in and I do fight for these things, and I did a good job in those roles.

This issue accepting, So I'll be open with people.

I'll take it on the but then i want to know what they want to see from their representative, and I've got a track record to show that I will fight for them.

Well.

Actually, the second thing that comes up when you Google your name is you on a bike testing out a new bike path.

So that's testament too, probably what you said there in terms of what you've been doing since twenty twenty three.

You're currently a director at at two.

I assume you'll be leaving that role.

Well, a guy still got to put food on the table, so I need to continue working in the coming period, and that's important work for me.

It's a part of who I am.

As I said before that I like to fight when I think that something is not fear or needs changing in our community, and I enjoy that part of my role.

So I'll be continuing to work in that role.

But yeah, a little closer to the election, I'll be taking leave from that role so that I can focus fully on the campaign and trying to win Mount Roscal.

Yeah.

Do you are you scared that somebody would perhaps see that as a conflict of interest?

No, I don't think so.

I'd say quite the opposite.

I've always been someone who's been a part of that broader labor movement.

Thing in politics that drives before the most is this basic idea that working people should be treated fairly, should be able to live a decent life, should be able to have a voice, shouldn't be squashed down with those who have a lot of power, money and influence.

And you know, I do some of that work in my union role, but also working in the.

Political space is a part of that.

So I see to something that's that's really consistent, and it is obviously pretty well out there as well, so people know who I am, they know what I do.

Have you had any conversations with say Chris Hopkins for example, about because he'll you know, obviously be a your new boss again about being transparent and what happened you know, did you have a debrief or something before you came out and said, look, let's do it again in twenty twenty sex.

Yeah, that is something that I've talked to Chris about and obviously there are real lessons to learn from the mistakes that I made at that time, but also there are ongoing issues in the parliamentary space.

These issues do bubble up from time to time, and I know that Chris's leader and hopefully our next Prime minister, that he really wants this to be an area that there's some focus on.

You've got to make sure that people are not just doing the right thing and behaving in the right way, but that the public can have confidence in that, because sometimes the perceptions are as important in terms of having trust as the realities.

So I know that's something that he's really focused on.

It's something as I say, that I've very much learned the hard way, and if there are ways in which I can help people to understand the importance of getting that right, then I'm happy to do that.

I am a great believer that when you fall, you do sometimes learn lessons, and there's a bit of a duty and obligation then to try and do something good out of that.

And if I can help to show people that you can get up off the floor and do good things again, and if I can contribute in this space in terms of encouraging openness and transparency, then that's something I'd.

Like to do.

Thanks for joining us, Michael, Thank you pleasure.

That's it for this episode of The Front Page.

You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzidherld dot co dot nz.

The Front Page is produced by Jane Ye and Richard Martin, who's also our editor.

I'm Chelsea Daniels.

Subscribe to the Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.