Allan sticking to Labour’s campaign suspension decision

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

LABOUR list MP Kiri Allan will continue to adhere to her party's nationwide election campaign suspension despite her East Coast electorate opponents returning to the campaign trail.

Ms Allan was a notable absence from the Meet the Candidates meeting at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday.

She was in Wellington in her role as junior whip as Parliament reconvened.

But the real reason for her absence was that Labour had undertaken not to resume campaigning until advised it was appropriate to do so, she said.

“Until we have advice to recommence, I'll be honouring the commitment we made as a party and I will not be attending campaign candidate events.”

Parties suspended their campaigns last week following the new outbreak of Covid-19 community transmission in Auckland.

However, Jennie Brown (Advance NZ), Meredith Akuhata-Brown (Greens), Helena Nickerson (New Conservative) and Tania Tapsell (National) attended the public meeting on Wednesday.

Ms Allan said she was looking forward to being back on the campaign “in every corner of the electorate, as soon as we have the green light to go ahead”.

Ms Tapsell said National originally suspended its campaign but now believed it was safe to campaign outside of Auckland.

She was being cautious and following health guidelines.

Ms Tapsell said she had received feedback that the community appreciated the work and advocacy of their parliamentary candidates.

Mrs Akuhata-Brown said she was happy to campaign although she cancelled earlier events in the Bay of Plenty, parts of which are in the East Coast electorate.

The Holy Trinity Church event organisers and herself had taken the required Covid-19 precautions, she said.

Candidates had to be role models and she believed Labour was being “egocentric”, she said.

The Government was getting immense publicity during the outbreak.

Provincial New Zealand was sick of being driven from Wellington, said Mrs Akuhata-Brown. Labour's candidate should be campaigning out in the East Coast electorate.

New Conservative and Advance NZ do not support Covid-19 lockdowns. They believe lockdowns are a breach of democratic rights.

Ms Allan said campaign headquarters on Gladstone Road would remain closed and her campaign team had been stood down — “you will not see us wearing campaign clothing, rosettes etc”.

However, her constituent office remained accessible and she would remain available in her role as an MP.