Bay of Plenty electorate MP Todd Muller has had a rollercoaster career in politics. Photo / NZME
Bay of Plenty electorate MP Todd Muller has had a rollercoaster career in politics. Photo / NZME
The National and Labour parties are calling for candidates to contend the Bay of Plenty electorate seat as Todd Muller prepares to retire from politics.
Muller has held the Bay of Plenty seat since 2014 after taking over from National MP Tony Ryall, who held the seat from 1996 to2014.
On March 17, Muller announced he would not contend the role and was retiring from politics, ending a rollercoaster nine-year career.
Muller earlier told the Bay of Plenty Times retiring was a personal decision made with his wife Michelle and his family and he had no firm plans once his term ended on October 14 but would take some time to reflect with his family.
In the 2020 general election, Labour list MP Angie Warren-Clark contended the seat attracting 16,631 votes to Muller’s 20,406. Third-highest poller, Bruce Carley of the Act Party, received 2068 votes.
Nominations for the National candidacy close at noon on April 26, a public notice in the Bay of Plenty Times shows.
Warren-Clark referred inquiries to Labour’s general secretary Rob Salmond who said nominations would close on April 28.
Labour Party MP Angie Warren-Clark contested the Bay of Plenty seat in 2017 and 2020.
“We’ll make a candidate selection decision in the weeks after nominations close. Because our nominations are currently open, I’m not in a position to make any comment about particular candidates,” he said.
Carley said he would not stand in this general election, having retired after the 2020 election. He works as a group marketing and communications manager for a chain of action equipment stores in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
Act leader David Seymour said the party would not begin its selection process until July, but intended to stand a candidate in the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga seats.
Seymour hoped Cameron Luxton who stood in the Tauranga electorate in the 2020 election and 2022 by-election would once again put his name forward for selection.
“I believe Cameron would have [a] very good chance of selection if he chose to do so.”
National’s Bay of Plenty electorate chairwoman Mary Webster said candidate nominations were being sought now to give the delegates and the board more time to get to know each other and offered the candidates the chance to learn more about the role and the electorate.
“Selecting the right candidate is very much a democratic process. That starts with a pre-selection process by the party’s board and also involves selection of several delegates who are chosen by the financial members of the electorate to interview the final selected candidates along with [the] board.
Webster said the final selection of the Bay of Plenty electorate seat candidate would take place on May 17.
“We hope a lot of people from all different walks of life put their names forward.”
An Electoral Commission spokeswoman said political parties and candidates could campaign and advertise at any time. but rules, including spending limits, applied in the three months before the election known as the “regulated period”.
Parties needed to submit their final lists of candidates for the October 14election to the Electoral Commission by September 14, she said.
She encouraged voters to ensure their enrolments were up to date online at vote.nz or by using a paper enrolment form available by calling 0800 36 76 56.
