Former Labour MP Louisa Wall may switch
‘‘People in deprived areas like south Auckland need politicians who understand what it’s like for them and don’t mind ruffling a few feathers.’’
Former Labour MP Louisa Wall is understood to be thinking about running for Te Pāti Māori in Manurewa in this year’s general election.
Meanwhile, Buttabean Motivation (BBM) founder Dave Letele has confirmed he is in talks with the party about standing in Māngere.
Wall won the Manurewa seat for Labour in 2011 and retained it with a comfortable margin in 2014 and 2017.
However, an internal party stoush led to her withdrawing her nomination in 2020. She ended up on the Labour list for that election before resigning from Parliament in 2022.
Local Democracy Reporting understands Wall has been in talks with Te Pāti Māori about running in the south Auckland electorate this year.
Wall was approached for comment, but refused to confirm or deny.
She was appointed as the Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tāngata in April 2022.
If she decides to stand, she will have to take a leave of absence from that role from the day she is nominated.
The Manurewa seat is held by Labour MP Arena Williams.
Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere said it was too soon to confirm who was standing for the party in both Manurewa and Māngere, ‘‘but we would be delighted to have Louisa Wall or Dave Letele as part of the Te Pāti Māori team’’.
Tamihere said both Letele and Tamihere had established reputations and strong links to their communities.
He said running candidates in general seats with large Māori populations who are enrolled on the general roll would help boost Te Pāti Māori’s party vote and both Māngere and Manurewa fit that bill.
Letele said he was weighing up whether to stand for Te Pāti Māori in Māngere and had been speaking with Tamihere. He expected to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.
He grew up in the area and said he has a special affinity for the place and its people.
Letele said the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods highlighted the need for Māngere to have a greater voice in the halls of power.
‘‘We had to struggle to get a Civil Defence emergency centre in Māngere after the floods and if it wasn’t for the effort of the local community it wouldn’t have happened,’’ he said.
Letele, who is half-Samoan and half-Māori, said he is keen to try his hand at politics.
‘‘People in deprived areas like south Auckland need politicians who understand what it’s like for them and don’t mind ruffling a few feathers. But I’m always going to remain who I am whether I’m a politician, or an activist.’’
The Māngere seat is held by Labour MP Aupito William Sio.
He has signalled he won’t contest the seat in 2023 and plans to retire from politics.