Quakes overshadow political threat

Labour’s Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene isn’t bothered if Metiria Turei stands against him.

The high profile Greens’ co-leader says she will be there to harvest the party vote, but past voting patterns show Green candidates can also take a critical number of electorate votes.

Mr Tirikatene says winning Maori seats is about relationships built up by working on the ground, and that’s what he’s concentrating on.

"The people of Te Tai Tonga have put their trust in me twice. I will seek their supoport agian at the next election. My immediate priority is looking after the big island and the big electorate because there is a lot going on with the Kaikoura quakes and that is the mahi I am focusing on at the moment," he says.

Mr Tirikatene says there has been a lot of cross-party work to prepared the emergency earthquake legislation going through parliament today, and tomorrow he will be back in Te Waipounamu checking on the welfare of whanau displaced by the quakes.

RINO TIRIKATENE INTERVIEW

Follow us on &

Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com

RELATED NEWS

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to Dale Husband; Visiting Ihumaatao not ruled out Busting out poi for app launch He aituaa.