Strong interest in National candidacy
Former MP Eric Roy is predicting a contest for the National Party candidacy in Invercargill after being approached by some ‘‘brilliant’’ people.
The National Party is on the search for a new candidate for the Invercargill electorate after Sarah Dowie announced this week she would step down from politics to focus on her family.
Roy held the Invercargill seat for National from 2005 to 2014, before he stepped down and Dowie took over.
Since the news broke that Dowie would not be seeking re-election, Roy said he had been approached by various people who quizzed him on the role and if he felt they would be suited.
Roy declined to offer up names, saying it was up to them to confirm their intentions.
However, he said he was impressed by the quality of people who were interested in the role.
He expected and also hoped, there will be a contest for the National candidacy in Invercargill. ‘‘It’s good for democracy,’’ he said.
Mark Doggett, the National Party chairman for the Invercargill electorate, said they were calling for interested candidates but would not rush into making a decision.
He said there was no time frame on announcing the candidate but they were keen to get a face out in front of the Southland people in plenty of time before the election.
John Prendergast put his name forward for National’s Clutha–Southland candidacy in 2017 but missed out on selection. Prendergast is starting a new job in Wellington and ruled out putting his name forward for the Invercargill seat this time around.
The Southland Times asked Southern Institute of Technology chief executive Penny Simmonds if it was a role she would be interested in. In response, she said only that she expected National would have a robust selection process.