East Coast base for Coffey

The East Coast Labour Party headquarters for candidate Tāmati Coffey opened yesterday. In attendance supporting Mr Coffey (right) were Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidate Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and local Labour Party volunteers. Picture by Paul Rickard

Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, opening Tāmati Coffey’s East Coast election headquarters in Gisborne yesterday, said some parties wanted to take the country in a dark direction.

Labour wanted Aotearoa to be an inclusive and fair country, but there were parties trying take the country in a different direction.

“That is not a place where we want our children and grandchildren to grow up.

“That is why the fight is important.”

Mr Coffey, in East Coast, and Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidate Cushla Tangaere-Manuel were “easy-to-sell” candidates.

But Labour campaign volunteers would have to work hard.

Labour supporters laughed when Ms Sepuloni said the two Labour candidacies had both arisen in unconventional manners.

She was referring to the resignation of Kiri Allan in East Coast and the defection of Meka Whaitiri to Te Pāti Māori in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.

Ms Sepuloni was scheduled to come to Gisborne before Prime Minister Chris Hipkins tested positive to Covid-19.

She said Mr Hipkins was still campaigning by Zoom, including with the media.

Her schedule had not changed too much.

Ms Sepuloni had earlier opened a new Ministry of Social Development skills hub in Gisborne and was travelling on to the South Island.

Mr Coffey said the campaign would remind the community what Labour had done for the community during the past six years.

The election would be tight, “and we know that”.

He suggested people vote early and encourage others to vote.

Mr Coffey said the campaign office would provide a base where volunteers could go.

But supporters may be based elsewhere on election night.

Ms Tangaere-Manuel said Labour had to get whānau out to vote.

The East Coast campaign office was nice, “but it won’t get us across the line”.