May 21, 2013
Greens to contest Ikaroa Rawhiti
The Ikaroa Rāwhiti by-election just got more crowded, with the Green Party joining the fray for the seat left vacant by the death of Labour’s Parekura Horomia.
Co-leader Metiria Turei says nominations have opened and a selection meeting will be held on Friday.
She says last week’s budget shows how Māori don’t feature in the Government’s considerations, so the by-election is a chance to get those issues to the fore.
"It puts Māori issues at centre stage in an area where all of the issues that affect Māori are at the forefront, housing, poverty but also where all the solutions are. If there are real solutions for unemployment in Ikaroa Rāwhiti then those solutions belong and are available to the whole country, so we can use the Ikaroa Rāwhiti by-election to talk about what’s positive and what’s possible," she says.
Ms Turei says the Greens Party vote jumped in the Māori seats at the last election, so taking part is a way to extend that support.
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