Matt Mccarten

Everyone has a view of Matt McCarten - president of the Alliance; wannabe mayor of Auckland; aspiring MP; trade union leader; stutterer; pin-up boy.In public McCarten has been variously described as ruthless, Machiavellian, manipulative, uncompromising, frank, driven, tough, honest, down-to-earth. A sensitive new-age hatchet man. A strategic genius. A ruthless operator. To his supporters on the left he is a saint and to those he opposes he is a demon.The private Matt McCarten is much less well known. Matt has consistently refused to discuss his past in any detail. In this biography, Matt's story is told in his own words. And it's a heart-rending tale.This focused political fighting machine evolved from a lonely little boy shunted between orphanages and boys' homes in the Wellington region for 14 years. His story is one of survival into successful adulthood.Cathy Casey is the author of CHANGE FOR THE BETTER: THE STORY OF GEORGINA BEYER. She worked for a number of years as Jim Anderton's Senior Private Secretary until early 2002. She is Matt McCarten's partner.Casey, Cathy is the author of 'Matt Mccarten', published 2002 under ISBN 9781869415327 and ISBN 1869415329.