Mahuta crashes Labour leadership race as fourth and final contender
PLUS: Parker to stay on as acting leader.
Labour Party MPs have agreed at a caucus meeting today that David Parker will remain as acting leader until a winner of the current leadership contest is declared on November 18 – even though he’s a candidate.
Mr Parker has promised not to take advantage of holding the position during the runoff, saying acting deputy leader Annette King will front on most issues.
Yesterday Mr Parker expressed his preference to stay on as leader in an interview with Radio New Zealand, saying that yet another leadership change at this stage would look “a little bit fruity”.
Also in contention for the leadership role are Andrew Little and Grant Robertson.
Taking a short break from sniping at one another, immediate-past leaders David Cunliffe and David Shearer have both iterated their intention not to stand.
Nominations for the leadership race close this afternoon at 5pm.
As the minutes tick down to the deadline, Parliamentary Press Gallery journalists have been tipping via Twitter that Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta is about to declare her candidacy.
4.44pm: Radio New Zealand has now reported Ms Mahuta has confirmed her run and will make her official announcement imminently.
She has previously stood unsuccessfully for the deputy leadership alongside David Cunliffe.
First elected to parliament in 1996 as a list MP, Ms Mahuta was Minister of Customs, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Youth Development, Associate Minister for the Environment and Associate Minister of Tourism in the fifth Labour Government.
Nick Grant
Tue, 14 Oct 2014
Tue, 14 Oct 2014
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Mahuta crashes Labour leadership race as fourth and final contender
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