No ‘long-term future’ in Labour

Two candidates for the East Coast Bays electorate have withdrawn from the race for vastly different reasons, leaving both the Labour and the Green parties on the hunt for replacements.

Labour’s Rohan Lord dropped out of contention for the seat after being placed 72nd on Labour’s list and told Radio New Zealand he couldn’t see a future with the party.

‘‘I’m white middle class male and I couldn’t really see a longterm future within this party,’’ he told RNZ’s Morning Report.

‘‘I think they [Labour] rightly so want a cross-representation of all parts of the community ... I think it’s got to such a stage where, like, if you’re not within the establishment, and they want, rightly so, 50:50 women/male within caucus, that it would take such a long time to penetrate the upper levels of the party. That’s just my view’’.

Labour leader Andrew Little said on Tuesday it wasn’t possible for everybody to get a winnable position on the list.

‘‘It’s not unusual for people to take one or two goes, show how dedicated and committed they are to the cause, win a few stripes and get themselves further up in subsequent rounds,’’ he said. ‘‘The next list and the candidate slate I want to take into 2017 has to be as reflective and representative of New Zealand as I can possibly get it.‘‘

Lord, a former Yachting NZ and London Olympics team manager, was unavailable for comment on Tuesday or Wednesday morning but previously told RNZ the ranking sent a message ‘‘well you’re probably not for us’’.

Meanwhile, the Green Party candidate, Teresa Moore withdrew from standing in the East Coast Bays shortly after her announcement to do so.

Moore ran for the Rodney Electorate in 2011 and East Coast Bays in 2013 and says she still aligns herself with the Green Party values but cited personal reasons and work commitments as reasons for her withdrawal. She also volunteers with the Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society.

A Green Party spokeswoman said another candidate was undergoing the selection process and the party expected to make an announcement about a new candidate in the next month.

The East Coast Bays seat has historically been National’s, held by former foreign affairs minister Murray McCully for the most part of 30 years.

SUPPLIED Former Labour candidate for the East Coast Bays, Rohan Lord has withdrawn.