May 26, 2013
Labour picks Meka Whaitiri for Ikaroa Rāwhiti
Labour’s Ikaroa Rāwhiti electorate members have spoken, with Ngāti Kahungunu Chief Executive Meka Whaitiri emerging as the party’s candidate for the June 29 by-election to replace the late Parekura Horomia.
The selection was hotly contested, with six nominees including television presenter, Shane Taurima, and Hastings community worker, Henare O’Keefe, addressing crowds of 180 members in the Hutt Valley, 110 in Tolaga Bay and 430 in Napier.
Ms Whaitiri, a mother of two, says she has the background and experience to serve the people of the electorate.
"I worked in the shearing sheds on the East Coast. I worked in the casing department at Whakatu freezing works. I come from a hard-labouring whānau that are long-term Labour supporters. I went to Wellington, worked in the public service, in the Community Employment Group, that's where I met Parekura, and the last four years I have been round the board table of one of the largest iwi in the country, Kahungunu," she says.
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