You could argue back and forth over the merits and pitfalls of positive discrimination, but in the end a smart party would only go with candidates who can do the job for them. A diversity policy just means they would have to spread their net that little bit wider.
(But Labour should also be aware there is more to people than their labels.)
One bonus, were Mr McClay to win and Mr Coffey pick up a list seat, would be that Rotorua would again have an extra MP, as we did a few years ago.
The Coffey announcement was not Labour's first surprise this week.
The appointment of former Alliance Party president Matt McCarten as Labour leader David Cunliffe's chief of staff seemed a little out of left field, so to speak.
Since his time with Alliance, he has worked with the Maori Party, Unite union and Mana.
With both major parties having gravitated toward the centre in recent years, Mr McCarten's appointment signalled perhaps a marked shift to the left, though Mr Cunliffe denies this.
Perhaps Labour thinks it can make more gains attracting votes away from the Greens and Mana on the left this way.
And if that's their strategy, maybe things are looking good for a young, high-profile, Maori, and openly gay man in his quest to be Rotorua's MP.
