Tamati Coffey officially launches campaign

Television personality-turned political candidate Tamati Coffey has begun his campaign to win the Rotorua seat with the official opening of the "Labour Lounge" in the central business district.

Mr Coffey opened his Tutanekai St office last night in front of a crowd of more than 70 people.

Speaking at the opening, Sir Toby Curtis said growing up in Rotorua he would never have thought he would see a young Maori person standing for a seat in national politics in Rotorua.

"Today we are seeing this."

He urged Mr Coffey to stay true to himself. "The people here tonight are people who admire you and believe in you."

He said Mr Coffey could have had a "wonderful" career in broadcasting but had instead decided to pursue a more noble cause.

"When you get down there we just want you to be yourself."

During a blessing, Rev. Tom Poata asked that Mr Coffey be inspired in the way he thought and acted, and said he should be encouraged by the large turnout.

"You're going to need all the help you can get and more, because success comes with the help of others."

Mr Coffey said growing up he wanted to make a difference, and he believed he owed it to his parents to protect the values they had instilled in him.

He said Rotorua had often been overlooked in politics in the past two terms, but that wouldn't happen on his watch.

A central part of his campaign was a desire to make politics accessible to all walks of life as well as contributing to the invigoration of downtown Rotorua.

The Labour Lounge is open to anyone wanting to chat. It is in Tutanekai St, just down from the City Focus.