All things considered, it\u2019s 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\u2019s. Should Labour pull off a victory at the polls come November, Davidson\u2019s life could be set to get even busier, though you could say he\u2019s used to dealing with circuses and monkeys. His first big-boy job out of university was working on Mikey Havoc and Jeremy Wells\u2019 satirical television series Havoc, and from there began a two-decade-long career in the media, working largely with children and animals \u2013 which helped Davidson realise he was \u201cperfect for politics\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prior to entering parliament, Davidson was taking care of far more important things for this nation: children\u2019s television. He created the dearly missed Fanimals<\/a>, worked on the Alex Casey-approved Brain Busters<\/a> 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\u2019s infamous gunge, to get the recipe just right.<\/p>\n Despite valiant past efforts by The Spinoff<\/a> to uncover the secret recipe to What Now\u2019s gunge, the full official recipe has still never seen the light of day. In a way, it\u2019s kinda like KFC\u2019s 11 secret herbs and spices, \u201cbut it\u2019s much better for you\u201d. Before you ask, no, Davidson has never been gunged himself, and he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n So, in what other ways does experimenting with green goo translate to parliament? \u201cChildren\u2019s TV is inherently political. It\u2019s contestable funding, you have to do a lot of research and really understand your audience, and work to really ensure that you\u2019re serving them,\u201d Davidson explains. But the media environment has also become a different beast since he left the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing now is huge challenges to the ability to retain plurality of media in New Zealand,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not necessarily saying we\u2019re going to be able to throw millions of dollars into the industry to make it work. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the media industry that Davidson sees crying out for change. \u201cI do feel like there\u2019s a real hunger in both communities and industries for a better plan,\u201d Davidson says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s got to be more than just hope, which is kind of what people are being asked to do at the moment.\u201d Hoping to retain his electorate seat in November, Davidson says he\u2019s \u201cloving\u201d the conversations he\u2019s already had on the ground in Christchurch East and reckons there\u2019s a strong amount of youth support behind his campaign.<\/p>\n Before we depart, there\u2019s something I need to pick Davidson\u2019s brain about. In 2024, The Spinoff ranked the top 100 locally made television shows<\/a> from the 21st century \u2013 and since he\u2019s 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 (\u201cit just keeps on going\u201d), What Now (that\u2019s a given), Gloss (\u201cour original soap\u201d) and Havoc (\u201ca lot of fun, and a lot of trouble\u201d). Not a bad list for someone who grew up in a TV-less household.<\/p>\n THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A<\/p>\n How much should a pint cost?<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to think that you should be able to get a good pint of beer for 10 bucks.<\/p>\n Do you have a karaoke go-to?<\/p>\n \u2018Oh! Darling\u2019 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\u2019s 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\u2019s karaoke party? [Shakes head]<\/p>\n Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?<\/p>\n [Christchurch\u2019s] 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\u2019s got a restaurant, it\u2019s got squash courts, it\u2019s got a sports bar, it\u2019s got a cafe and bistro, it\u2019s got a function room, it\u2019s got an outdoor area with a kids\u2019 playground. And it\u2019s got a really amazing team who just make it work, and it\u2019s always full of people.<\/p>\n Which three MPs would be on your pub quiz team?<\/p>\n Cush[la Tangere-Manuel, Labour MP]; we came [into parliament] in the same year, so we\u2019re classmates. She\u2019s head girl, I\u2019m head boy. I\u2019m going to say, from the Nats, Judith Collins; she\u2019s very funny, but she also knows where all the bodies are buried, and I think she\u2019d probably be able to share a few interesting things now that she\u2019s retiring. And then I\u2019m gonna go with [Green MP] Steve Abel<\/a> \u2013 he\u2019s a very smart guy.<\/p>\n Which MP from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?<\/p>\n Winston Peters. I mean, that\u2019s the ultimate, right? Winston entered parliament the year I was born \u2013 that was 48 years ago. It would be a long drink, I\u2019m guessing.<\/p>\n Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?<\/p>\n We\u2019re 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<\/a> Labour MP Kieran McAnulty\u2019s 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.]<\/p>\n What\u2019s a policy area we\u2019ve been nursing without finishing the glass?<\/p>\n I think there\u2019s a whole lot more we could be doing in the science, innovation and technology space. It\u2019s hugely exciting, there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n What qualities make a good drinking partner?<\/p>\n Loyalty, punctuality, and someone that\u2019s always gonna fairly split the bill.<\/p>\n Have you ever had a Schnapps election moment where you regretted your political instinct?<\/p>\n 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\u2019re making decisions for.<\/p>\nReuben Davidson, professional gunge mixer.<\/p>\n
Immediate deliciousness: Davidson with a cake he gave media and communications minister Paul Goldsmith last year for, in Davidson\u2019s opinion, getting very little done in the role.<\/p>\n