Cushla Tangaere-Manuel boots on for Ikaroa-Rawhiti run

Claudette Hauiti Cushla Tangaere Manuel a follower of Parekura Horomia, Willie Jackson

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Labour has picked Cushla Tangaere-Manuel as its candidate to win back Ikaroa-Rawhiti for the party.

Incumbent MP Meka Whaitiri is standing for Te Pāti Māori after her surprise defection in May.

Ms Tangaere-Manuel is the Maori rugby programme manager at New Zealand Rugby, after raising the profile and the flaxroots membership of Ngati Porou East Coast Rugby while serving as its CEO.

Willie Jackson, Labour’s Maori campaign chair, says it’s a match-up Labour expects to win.

“I’d be surprised if we lose given how strong the Labour brand is because that is a Labour Party seat, Parekura Horomia’s seat, and we are following in his legacy, so our candidate is very much a supporter of Parekura Horomia, she’s been part of his grouping’s before and supported him before, so it’s going to be a really tight contest but I hope that members remember who’ve they’ve been with all these years,” he says.

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