TV's Tamati Coffey wants to be Rotorua MP

Tamati Coffey wants to be the next Rotorua MP.

Former television star Tamati Coffey wants to be Rotorua's next MP and has been nominated for selection as a candidate for the Labour Party.

In an exclusive interview, Mr Coffey told the Rotorua Daily Post his true passion was politics and he was ready to embark on a career in Parliament after a decade appearing on New Zealand's television screens.

The 34-year-old graduated with an honours degree in political science from Auckland University in 2003 before landing a job with TVNZ as a presenter on children's show What Now.

By late 2007 he had moved to TVNZ's Breakfast show as a roving weatherman and went on to win New Zealand's Dancing With The Stars in 2009. He was also host of the second season of New Zealand's Got Talent and has appeared as a fill-in presenter on current affairs programme Seven Sharp.

He and his partner Tim Smith have bought a property in Kawaha Point which they have been busy renovating since returning from a six month European holiday.

"I've been passionate about politics all my life," he said.

"I've had a picture of the Beehive on my wall for quite a few years and it's always been a dream of mine to get there.

"I didn't want to be on TV ... but I was only 24 and thought it would be a lot of fun and I could always go back to what I really wanted to do."

Mr Coffey said the time was right for him to follow his dream.

"Rotorua is our home now, my parents have lived here for many years and we love living here."

He said Labour's principles were his principles.

"I'm about people and the community, I'm about the benefits for the many rather than the few."

He said he understood it would take a lot of hard work to unseat incumbent Rotorua MP Todd McClay if he became the Rotorua candidate.

"All the data says Todd should win this so, yes, it will be an uphill battle.

"I'm still developing my messages, but I think I first need to engage people, I want to capture all of those enrolled non-voters."

Mr Coffey said of major concern to him was employment and fair wages for workers, saying the recent closure of Tachikawa Forest Products was not good for the city.

"I'm am nervous, but it's challenging, it's exciting and I'm really powered up inside about this, much more than during my 10 years on television.

"I don't want to be that face people see on TV, I want people to know I have a whole other dimension to me.

"I want to see change and I want to find out from people what the lay of the land is.

"I have to bring everything to the table and prove my worth."

His partner Tim Smith said Rotorua needed someone like Mr Coffey.

"He has real compassion for people and can't stand social injustice, he gets really down when he sees that happening," Mr Smith said.

Nominations for candidates to represent the Labour Party in the Rotorua electorate closed yesterday.

Labour Party general secretary Tim Barnett said two nominations had been received, with a possible third nomination coming late Friday.

Mr Barnett said the names of all nominees for the party's Rotorua candidate would be released on Monday with the selection process to take up to a month.

If selected, Mr Coffey would replace former Labour Party cabinet minister and new mayor of Rotorua Steve Chadwick as Rotorua's Labour candidate to contest November's general election.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay said he didn't focus on what the Labour Party were doing.

"I believe I have a good track record of working hard for local people and have delivered some important wins for Rotorua and the wider electorate over the last six years."

Mr McClay said this would be his third election campaign and he looked forward to making his case to continue to be Rotorua's MP and represent its views in Parliament.