Labour to campaign for Mana electorate on cost of living

Winnie Laban is resigning from Parliament to take up a position at Victoria University. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Campaigning has already begun in the Mana electorate as Labour's Kris Faafoi and National's Hekia Parata prepare for a byelection later this year.

The byelection, which will take place after incumbent MP Winnie Laban resigns from Parliament to take up a position at Victoria University, is likely to be held in November. Mr Faafoi, a former political journalist and currently Labour's chief press secretary, was confirmed at the weekend as Labour's selection.

He spent yesterday in Mana, meeting locals, including Maori and Pacific elders, and said his campaign would focus on the rising cost of living under National.

"I'm anxious, it's a safe Labour seat, and I think Hekia will put up a good fight, but if we do what we need to do we should be all right, and there are plenty of issues to get our teeth stuck into."

The rising cost of living and the upcoming increase in GST were worrying locals, he said. "I had a chat to some cleaners at a meeting the other day, and they are worried about the security of their jobs and they're working longer hours to make ends meet."

Prime Minister John Key is joining Ms Parata, a list MP who lost the Mana seat last election by 6000 votes, in the electorate this week to try and drum up some early support.

It will be the first in a series of tours, he said. "We acknowledge that Mana is a safe seat [for Labour] so there's no dressing it up from Labour that somehow this is a hard ask for them because it's one of their safest seats.

"But we think we've got a good message. As a Government, we've had to take up some significant challenges and we've met those tests. And in Hekia Parata we have a very good candidate so we're going to campaign hard for Mana, but everyone would have to acknowledge that we're a significant underdog."

Mr Faafoi said he was taking leave from his job from yesterday.

He rejected suggestions that he had sought, or had been approached about, a job as a press secretary for a National minister.