Christchurch city councillor puts Parliament ambitions on hold

Sam MacDonald is seeking re-election to the Christchurch City Council. Photo / Star News

Sam MacDonald has placed his Parliamentary ambitions on hold to ideally broaden his local government experience following October's Christchurch City Council elections.

The first-term Waimairi Ward representative was considering seeking National's nomination for the Ilam electorate after former MP and government minister Gerry Brownlee indicated he would not challenge Labour's Sarah Pallett next year.

With Brownlee, Ilam's MP from 1996 to 2020, last week confining himself to the party list, there was scope for MacDonald – Brownlee's campaign manager at the last general election – to make a bid for the Beehive.

However, a staunch supporter of Phil Mauger's mayoral bid, MacDonald opted not to withdraw his city council nomination before they close tomorrow and reiterated he would not chase National's nomination if re-elected on October 8.

"I'd like to do it [Parliament] one day, it's a seat that could be won back but timing wise, in terms of nominations being open for council I couldn't in good conscience trigger a byelection," he said.

"It will still be there in time, but I just wonder whether at the moment I can add more value to the council," said MacDonald, a member of the right-leaning Independent Citizens faction.

"With a new mayor coming in and the like, there's going to be an opportunity to really contribute."

While MacDonald has Wellington on his horizon, he will be challenged in Waimairi by an independent candidate who spent several years in the Beehive as a press secretary for the Green Party before returning home.

Also a former sector leader for left-leaning The People's Choice, Kevin List helped Zahra Hussaini's unsuccessful bid to beat MacDonald in 2019, and that experience convinced him to stand.

"I ran Zahra's campaign and went around and door knocked. It wasn't super successful but I got a bit of a vibe for Waimairi. I'm doing teacher training and living here now so I thought: 'Someone needs to give Sam a run for his money'," said List, who joins fellow independent Laly Samuel in seeking to oust MacDonald.

List was not surprised MacDonald had pulled back from Ilam, noting National's recent scandals involving former MPs Andrew Falloon, Jami-Lee Ross, Todd Barclay, Hamish Walker and Sam Uffindell.

"My guess is he had no chance of getting it after all the young 30-something guys that ended up with scandals," he said.

MacDonald took issue with that prediction.

"The guy clearly hasn't been watching my work locally for the last couple of years if he thinks that's the reason [for not seeking the nomination]," he said.

List said the Te Kaha/Canterbury Multi-Use Arena was a key platform of his campaign, a project MacDonald has backed to the hilt.

"Voting to blow the stadium budget by $150 million is not showing respect to ratepayers," List said.

"I'm not anti the stadium, but I want it put on the table that the $150 million isn't as popular as people think and make it a referendum on that in Waimairi."

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