Green Party to step aside for Labour in Mt Roskill by-election

The Green Party will not stand a candidate in the Mt Roskill electorate should Phil Goff win the Auckland mayoralty race.

The party made the official announcement this afternoon after weeks of speculation it would not stand a candidate in the central Auckland suburb.

“The Green Party’s priority is changing the government in 2017 and, as part of that, we’ve decided we won’t stand a candidate in the probable Mt Roskill by-election,” says Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei.

The Greens and Labour signed a memorandum of understanding in May, where the parties committed to “work collaboratively to change the government.”

Ms Turei says today’s decision shows that agreement is working.

“The Mt Roskill by-election will be closely contested and we don't want to play any role in National winning the seat,” she says.

In June, Labour leader Andrew Little told NBR ONLINE a scenario where a Green Party candidate would not stand “couldn’t be ruled out.”

“We will have conversations about electoral accommodation – how far they go, how specific they are but we don't know yet,” Mr Little said after confirming Michael Wood as Labour’s Mt Roskill candidate in June.

NBR reported conversations within the Green Party about a potential candidate not standing had already begun at the time.

The Green Party's latest candidate for the seat was former Oxfam chief Barry Coates, who received almost 1700 votes in the 2014 general election or 5% and the Green Party received almost 10% of the party vote.

Mr Coates is now in Parliament, coming in on the list after Kevin Hague stood down two weeks ago. This move was seen as a signal the Greens would not stand a candidate in the suburb.

The Greens decision means the left vote won’t be as split, giving Labour’s Mr Wood a better chance of winning against Mt Roskill-based National list MP Parmjeet Parmar.

Mr Wood, a member of the Puketapapa Local Board, which his wife Julie Fairey chairs, has been campaigning for the electorate since early June. Dr Parmar told NBR last night her campaign for the electorate had not yet begun.