Extended Closing Date For Nominations For Selection As Labour Candidate In the Ikaroa-Rawhiti Electorate

The New Zealand Labour Party today extended the closing date for nominations for its candidate for the Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election to 5pm on Wednesday 22nd May.  This follows the announcement that the by-election would take place on June 29th 2013.

The selection process will involve hui in the Hutt Valley on Friday 24th May, in Gisborne/East Coast on Saturday 25th May and in Hawkes Bay on Sunday 26th May.  Voting will take place at each hui and the candidate will be selected at the final one.

Please see overleaf for guidance on Labour’s nomination and selection process.

LABOUR’S CANDIDATE NOMINATION PROCESS extracted from guidance to Party members

When people decide they want to try to become a Labour candidate, they organise a nomination. The process is advertised by panui to members, to the wider community and in local newspapers. 

If someone wants to try and become a Labour candidate, there are four straightforward steps :

Be a member of the Labour Party.  If they have not been a Labour member for more than one year before nominations open, they will need to also include with their nomination form a letter to the New Zealand Council asking for a waiver of rule 251 of the Party Constitution (which is about candidates having been a member for a year before being selected).

Fill in a nomination form and questionnaire, which will be sent to members and be on the website www.labour.org.nz; also provide a CV and photo

Have their nomination form signed by at least six (6) members of the Party enrolled in Ikaroa Rawhiti OR by Labour Electorate Committee or Branch officers

The nomination period will be short – this is normal for by-elections.

LABOUR’S CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS extracted from guidance to Party members

If there is only one person nominated, there will be a confirmation hui or series of hui. If there is more than one candidate, then there will be three selection hui over one weekend, planned for the Hutt Valley, in Gisborne/East Coast and in the Hawkes Bay.

Each hui will be in line with Maori protocol.  It will start with a question and answer session for all nominees, with all Party members being able to ask questions (time allowing!).  Then each of the nominees will give a speech, probably 15 minutes long (it depends on the number of candidates).

Party and affiliate members for more than a year get two votes – for a panel representative and for the candidate they prefer.  More recent members get one vote, which is indicative and is used to inform the panel.

The Selection Panel for Maori electorate selections is made up of:

Three (3) people selected by the New Zealand Council, at least one who must be a woman and at least two who must be Maori. They are usually members of the New Zealand Council.

One (1) or two (2) representatives elected by the Ikaroa-Rawhiti Labour Electorate Committee (which is made up of delegates elected by each of the branches, and the affiliates).  The number of representatives depends on membership figures and on how often the LEC has met in the last year.

One (1) local Party members’ representative elected by and from people who have been members for more than a year..

The result of the candidate preference vote from people who have been members for more than a year, which counts as one vote on the panel.

ENDS

© Scoop Media