May 09, 2023
We will win the seat; Minister Willie Jackson
Minister Willie Jackson, has paid tribute to departing caucus colleague Meka Whaitiri and to her whānau.
Meka Whaitiri will contest the Ikaroa Rāwhiti seat for Te Pāti Māori in October, and Minister Jackson says she is a formidable candidate.
He has also acknowledged her whānau who are long time supporters of Labour.
” We mihi to that whānau, they are a really important whānau in terms of Labour and the mahi they’ve done.”
“It’s not a seat we’ll take for granted, but that’s a Labour seat and we expect to win the seat.” says Minister Jackson.
The Māori caucus is currently going through a re-selection process but it could take several weeks.
In the meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has ruled out any more defections from Labour.