Cunliffe was elected Shearer's successor over Deputy Leader Robertson. Cunliffe appointed Shearer as both Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and Energy and Resources. Resignation Labour lost the 2014 general election and Cunliffe was replaced as leader by Andrew Little, who reappointed Shearer as Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson. On 8 December 2016 Shearer announced he would resign from Parliament after being chosen to head the United Nations Mission in South Sudan by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, replacing Dane Ellen Margrethe Løj. His resignation forced a by-election in the electorate, which was won by list MP Jacinda Ardern, who would go on to lead Labour to victory at the 2017 general election. Personal achievements In 1992 Shearer, and his wife Anuschka Meyer, were named the New Zealanders of the Year by The New Zealand Herald after running one of the biggest aid camps in Somalia. In the 1993 New Year Honours Shearer was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for welfare services to children in Somalia. In 1994 he was awarded Save the Children's international Award for Gallantry for service in areas of conflict. References External links Shearer's official website Parliamentary website page 1957 births Living people New Zealand Labour Party MPs University of Canterbury alumni University of Auckland alumni New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand officials of the United Nations Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Leaders of the Opposition (New Zealand) New Zealand Labour Party leaders Unsuccessful candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2002 New Zealand general election 21st-century New Zealand politicians People educated at Papatoetoe High School