Labour yet to decide on Te Tai Tokerau by-election
The Labour Party is yet to decide if it will compete for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate if independent MP Hone Harawira forces a by-election.
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Local Govt
The Labour Party is yet to decide if it will compete for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate if independent MP Hone Harawira forces a by-election.
Mr Harawira, who left the Maori Party in February following ongoing conflict with his colleagues about the party's relationship with National, announced the formation of his own left-leaning party, Mana, at the weekend.
He said he would force a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau, which he won for the Maori Party in 2008, to seek a new mandate.
Labour leader Phil Goff said he would be looking at what other parties were doing and considering the views of his caucus before deciding whether Labour would contest the seat.
"We'd have potentially a very good candidate there in Kelvin Davis, he's a person with a huge reputation in the north," Mr Goff said.
"But who knows, I haven't done any polling on the electorate, I'm not sure what would happen at this stage, or what would happen in the event of a three, four, five-way competition for the seat."
Mr Goff was scathing of Mr Harawira's decision to force a by-election, which will cost about $500,000 and take place just months before November's general election, calling it a farce.
"Does the local Member of Parliament need a mandate? Of course not, he's got it already. He's elected from that seat," Mr Goff said.
"This is about creating an election platform, it's a stunt in that regard ... That is not a good use of taxpayers' money. Every one of us can think of a thousand things we'd rather see that money spent on."
NZPA
Mon, 02 May 2011
Mon, 02 May 2011
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Labour yet to decide on Te Tai Tokerau by-election
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