Judy Kirk
National Party President

28 July 2008

National announces list-only candidates

National Party President Judy Kirk today announced that Melissa Lee and Steven Joyce will be standing for the National Party at the up-coming General Election.

The National Party Board has nominated Ms Lee and Mr Joyce to fill two of its ‘up to five’ list-only nominations allowed under the Party’s constitution.

Mrs Kirk says she is thrilled to have two people of the calibre of Melissa Lee and Steven Joyce joining the line-up of 2008 candidates.

“We are very pleased Melissa and Steven have accepted the nominations. We already have a diverse and talented team and Melissa and Steven will both be strong contributors through their variety of skills and talents in several areas.

“Melissa’s 20 years of journalism experience and Steven’s extensive senior commercial experience, will be valuable additions to the team,” Mrs Kirk says.

Korean-born Melissa Lee is the host of Asia Downunder, a popular programme that puts New Zealanders’ Asian voice on national television. It has been produced by her company Asia Vision Limited for the past 13 out of 15 years.

She is the sole New Zealand member of the Asia-Pacific Producers Network (APN) Board of Directors and has recently completed writing a feature film.

Steven Joyce is the Chief Executive of Jasons Travel Media Limited and the National Party’s Campaign Chair. He was the National Party’s General Manager and Campaign Manager during the 2005 election period, and has been a consultant adviser to John Key. He is also the Chairman of Taranaki-based hospital bed exporter Howard Wright Limited.

In the late 1980s Steven co-founded and later became the CEO of what is now Radioworks New Zealand Limited, building it up over 14 years to a sharemarket capitalization in excess of $100 million.

ENDS

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