Shearer spent nearly 20 years working for the UN, managing the provision of aid to countries including Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq.

Shearer resigned from Parliament in December 2016 and in 2017 was appointed to head the United Nations peace keeping mission in South Sudan.

In 1989 he was appointed as UN Co-ordinator for Humanitarian Operations in Africa and the Balkans and served as head of the Save the Children Fund in Rwanda, Somalia, Northern Iraq and Sri Lanka.

[6] Shearer left the United Nations to work as an adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Phil Goff for two years.

[6] In February 2003 Shearer was appointed head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem.

[7] In 2007 Shearer was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his Deputy Special Representative (Humanitarian, Reconstruction and Development) for Iraq.

[1] In March 2013 Shearer admitted he had not declared a US-based bank account in which he received his salary from the UN, saying he had simply forgotten about it.

[15] On 9 December, Horizon Research released a demographically weighted survey which found that 35.4% of adult New Zealanders supported Shearer's bid for the leadership, and 19.9% backed Cunliffe.

Dubbed the "man ban", the policy was to ensure that 50% of Labour MPs were female by 2017 and allowed local electorate committees to hold all-women shortlists to reach this goal.

On 20 August 2013, a stunt involving Shearer holding up two dead snapper in Parliament, while questioning the Government about proposed changes to recreational fishing management, was not well received.

[28][29][30] He announced his resignation as Labour leader on 22 August 2013, stating that: "My sense is I no longer have the full confidence of many of my caucus colleagues".

[36] His resignation forced a by-election in the Mount Albert electorate, which was won by list MP Jacinda Ardern, who would go on to lead Labour to victory at the 2017 general election.

[2][37] In the 1993 New Year Honours, Shearer was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for welfare services to children in Somalia.