20 December 2022 

The Labour Party has selected Tangi Utikere as its candidate for the Palmerston North electorate in the 2023 General Election.

Tangi Utikere has been a Labour MP since the 2020 General Election and is currently Labour’s Junior Whip and Chair of Parliament’s Health Committee.

Tangi Utikere says: “Serving as the MP for the community that I call my home has been a privilege, and I’m delighted to be confirmed as Labour’s candidate for next year’s General Election. I have seen first-hand the difference that Labour has made to my local community and I am committed to standing by our track record to ensure Labour is re-elected next year.”

Labour has a strong record of achievement in Palmerston North. Since coming to office in 2017, Labour’s local achievements have included:

• Addressing local housing need by identifying Palmerston North as an area of focus under the Government’s Public Housing Plan, and building Kāinga Ora homes for the first time in many years.
• $211 million Rail network improvements package, better connecting Palmerston North with Wellington, Kapiti and Wairarapa by upgrading tracks for the Capital Connection line, safety connections and refurbishment of Capital Connection carriages.
• Investing $26 million in a surgical services expansion unit, supporting two additional theatres, new procedure rooms, a new cardiac catheterisation laboratory and improved recovery facility.

This record of local achievement is in addition to Labour’s nationwide record of protecting New Zealanders from the pandemic, supporting family budgets through challenging economic times, and making progress in long term issues such as climate change, housing, and child poverty.

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