Mr O’Connor, a Labour list MP, has relocated to Dunedin due to a change in his personal circumstances. He has been attending functions and meetings around the city, and last week took part in a regular meeting between local MPs of all parties and the Dunedin City Council.
"As a list MP now, it’s less significant where I live," Mr O’Connor said.
"But I have the oversight of being a buddy MP still for West Coast Tasman, and for Kaikoura, and now I’m working with the two very good local MPs to cover both Southland, Waitaki and Rangitata.
"I’m keeping in touch with the Labour members and just picking up on issues that are relevant to this region, as well as my traditional areas."
Mr O’Connor is synonymous with the West Coast, having been the electorate MP from 1993-2008, and again from 2011-23.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times yesterday the 67-year-old former Cabinet minister did not rule out another tilt at winning back West Coast-Tasman from the incumbent MP, National’s Maureen Pugh.
"It’s a local process," he said.
"I was at a Labour Party meeting up there last week, and we are working through that process. It’s not an urgent one, but clearly it’s something that has to be decided to give whoever is the candidate time, and I’ve said, you know, we still run, but clearly living in the electorate is the most preferable thing to do.
"But it’s up to the party members up there, the head office and others."
Mr O’Connor acknowledged that time away from the electorate may have been a factor in him losing in 2023: he was minister for trade and export growth in the then Labour government and hence often out of the country.
"People like to see their local MP present, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be very effective for your region."
Mr O’Connor said he was as enthusiastic about politics as ever, being "at the midpoint of my political career".
"I appreciate I’ve been very privileged and lucky to be around for quite a while, a lot longer than I ever thought desirable or, you know, possible," he said.,
"But it’s still a very addictive environment. That is, if you care about things and you want to make a difference, then being in Parliament is perhaps the only place to be.
"That’s where final decisions are made."
