Labour members ask Willie Jackson to stand against Meka Whaitiri in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti

Willie Jackson and former Labour colleague Meka Whaitiri, now standing for Te Pāti Māori in the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat. Photo / NZME

Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson has been asked by Labour’s Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate to stand against his former Cabinet colleague Meka Whaitiri at the October elections.

Whaitiri was the Labour MP for the region until she left the Government and hitched her wagon – and her whakapapa – to Te Pāti Māori. She has been nominated by Te Pāti Māori as its Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidate.

Since Whaitiri’s resignation this month, Jackson, Labour’s Māori campaign strategist, has been interviewing potential candidates for the seat, including whānau of much-loved Labour MP Parekura Horomia, who held the seat from 1999 until his death in 2013.

Jackson admitted that, during this interview process, members of the electorate had asked him to consider standing. He has whakapapa to Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu as well as Ngāti Maniapoto.

“My preference is not to stand, I would be a very reluctant candidate but I don’t rule it out altogether because you never know in politics and I will help the party out where I can,” Jackson told Iwi Radio 603am.

A staunch advocate for urban Māori, Jackson said Ikaroa-Rāwhiti would not be without a strong Labour candidate.

He has ruled out the managing director of Toitū Tairawhiti, Annette Wehi: “She’s a great leader, absolutely fantastic, but she’s unavailable unfortunately.”

A final decision on Labour’s candidate for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti should be known in a fortnight.