By-election: Michael vs Fia?

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, December 1st, 2016 - 36 comments
Categories: by-election, labour, national - Tags: , ,

The Mt Roskill by-election is between Michael Wood and Parmjeet Parmar.

But as far as who’s the competition to take the vacant MP spot in Parliament?  Well, Parmjeet is already a list MP, so it would be National List candidate Misa Fia Turner.

She thinks Donald Trump was ‘anointed by God’, and has views on stigmata that are certainly outside the mainstream.

Now Michael is a good Anglican boy, whose faith is very important to him; but I think he’s wise enough not to see politicians as ‘anointed by God’.

Little else is known about Turner, who’s reluctant to talk to media, but she was involved in a mini-scandal about her right to use the Samoan chiefly title Misa last election.

There’s clearly only one way to vote if you want to see a quality MP added to parliament.

As far as Roskill representation, it’s fairly amazing how Parmjeet is trying to cast herself as the ‘local’ candidate.

On her facebook page she talks about “giving Mt Roskill the strong local voice it deserves”, about how she has a “local track record of getting things done on your behalf”, and how she is “the only candidate with the local track record of experience and success in getting things done for the area”.

Yes, the woman who lives in Eastern Beach and only opened an office there 7 months ago (and only started her website 8 months ago when the by-election possibility raised its head) is the local, and not the guy who’s lived there for a long time, representing the community at Local Board level for the last 6 years, Chair of local school Waikowhai’s Board of Trustees, hell, not just local Labour chair but even ran Phil Goff’s campaigns some elections back.

Sure you’re the ‘local’ candidate Parmjeet?

[I’ll be helping on Saturday: if you can too, get in touch with Michael – through his facebook or twitter]

36 comments on “By-election: Michael vs Fia? ”

  1. save nz 1

    Let’s hope Michael Wood wins it! Good luck.

  2. Muttonbird 2

    Not sure what voters who intend to vote Parmar expect she’ll do for them. Cover some bus-stops and fix a few footpaths seems to be the back-bone of her campaign. That, and spending cuts in the constituency, obviously.

    If Mt Roskill elects her then they will have got what they deserve, and we all will have got what we deserve in Misa Fia Turner…

    • Wensleydale 2.1

      I’m not sure anyone deserves Misa Fia Turner. It’d be like electing the Witchsmeller Pursuivant as your local MP.

  3. Scott 3

    I think Parmar’s approach needed to be simpler. It is clear that a good number (probably enough) of those that voted last time wanted a National led government even if they voted for Goff as the electorate MP. You could assume that that hasn’t changed.

    I think her message ought to have been “Do you want a local representative with the ability to influence Government decisions on things that matter to this community, or do you just want someone new to shout slogans from the opposition benches and achieve nothing?”

    Sometimes they make this all more complicated that it needs to be.

    • Anne 3.1

      … or do you just want someone new to shout slogans from the opposition benches and achieve nothing?”

      And you would be the first to accuse them of being a bunch of lazy good for nothings if they didn’t hold the government to account from the opposition benches.

      • Nessalt 3.1.1

        Labour haven’t held the National government to account for much in the last 9 years. Labour aren’t an effective opposition, it’s why they aren’t seen as being ready for government.

      • Scott 3.1.2

        I’m not saying it is valid (or even that I have a crystal ball for the 2017 election), I just think that is the type of core message she ought to have run rather than allowing any sidetracking into silly stuff like who lived where for how long or who is a member of a school board.

  4. james 4

    Nice interactive by the NZHerald on the byelection.

    http://insights.nzherald.co.nz/article/mt-roskill-byelection

  5. Yes , … I saw that interview between Wood and Parmar , I was mildy bored listening to it but one thing that did make me laugh was when Parmar claimed she was local… and when asked about where she lived , – she said she is living in Eastern Beach…

    I mean really…. how more opportunistic than that can you get ?

    That fact and that fact alone should be raising eyebrows about her credence for a start.

  6. National Party President Peter Goodfellow did not comment on the content of Ms Turner’s posts.

    But he said in a statement that it “seems like dirty tricks from the Labour Party…”

    Those fiends! Pointing out stuff she actually wrote!

    • Red Hand 6.1

      It does “seem” doesn’t it Pete ? But what would a President of the National Party know about dirty tricks ?

  7. Exile 7

    Since I am Labour and not just an opinionated commenter I have been assisting with this campaign.
    We are in deep shit here. The area is rapidly changing, the old labour voters in the ward, bluecollar whites and pacific islanders are quickly making way for CBD workers and more successful migrants coming out of Asia (both China and India). The migrants out of China (or Chinese decent) don’t seem at all interested in voting, the Indians who vote seem to by default vote for the Indian name.
    The only Asian who I spoke to that I got to vote was one who decided to join us for all the wrong reasons. She, a Malaysian Chinese, stated loudly “ahhh indians are snakes Ill vote for the other person” and asked us to write down the name of our candidate. And I should appologise for not taking the debate with her there and then.

    This is an area where when there is a general election we will need to filed a good team to hold on. Phil goof won the area by default almost, but he had name recognition. I still think the ward is 55% red, but us fielding a leftwing candidate and we will loose this ward.
    Our best bet this time round is that too few of the middle class white voters actually care enough to vote. This byelection is about bringing out the votes and we are lucky to have the great organising abilities of our Polynesian supporters. They know how to bring out the votes and we will owe them a big thank you if we win here.

    Knocking doors in Three kings, was an eyeopener. having canvassed not too far from where Phil Goffs old electorate office was (Three Kings) have been and my humble opinion is that we are winning 30% of the votes here. Thats virtually the population that hasn’t sold their houses yet (all houses are worth 1 million plus today). Further to the right, towards Mt Roskill grammar there are a lot more statehouses and also a higher degree of Polynesians, my fellow doorknockers reported that we have much greater support here and its a matter of bringing out the vote. Mt Roskill South is solid Labour luckily enough.

    Anyway, my canvassing is by no means any scientific proof for what the results will be, ts just an eyeopener to me to see how much votes we have lost in an old core Labour bastion such as Mt Roskill. I predict we win this, by a very small number ths time round.

    • save nz 7.1

      Welcome to Nationals social cleansing strategy in Auckland.

      • Wensleydale 7.1.1

        Social cleansing is such an unpalatable turn of phrase. ‘Gentrification’ is a much more pleasant euphemism for shoving all the brownies out to make way for more National voters.

        • save nz 7.1.1.1

          It’s more taking out Maori, Pacific and Pakeha being socially cleansed for migrant National voters.

          That’s what’s happening in Auckland. Where do you think the 70,000 people per year go? Over 9 years of National we have potentially 630,000 new migrants that listen to MSM, want their parents to come over no questions asked and issue 200,000 work permits for overseas students and overseas fruit pickers.

          When 60% settle in Auckland we have a housing crisis. If you wonder why Labour is failing, part of it is direct voter selection of migrants by National to help them win elections and prop up the economy so their bad economic policy is not revealed. Wonder why we get a pitiful amount of refugees? They don’t fit the National selection process. Why the Danish PHD migrants somehow don’t qualify here?

          I’m not blaming migrants why would you not want to settle in NZ? I’m blaming government policy for pushing out the Kiwis who can’t afford to live in Auckland on the local wages, which migrants can avoid by having family money when they come into NZ or jobs overseas. I’m blaming the National policy on pushing the superannuation and health crisis onto the younger generations of NZ.

  8. It’s always seemed super weird to me when a Party runs a list candidate already in Parliament for a by-election, so that if they won you simply get whoever’s at the next-to-bottom position on the Party List. It’s good to see that scraping social media feeds have revealed national’s next substitute MP as a complete crank.

    Of course, I’d generally just prefer that we treat electorate MPs like List MPs when they leave parliament, rather than changing the party balance after the election, but that’s because I don’t like electorates in general.

  9. greg 9

    not to mention shes dishonest nasty bit of work
    i already voted for woods

  10. alwyn 10

    It is pleasing to see that the Labour Party are finally learning the methods of campaigning. They are now copying the techniques developed by, I think, Mathew Hooton.

    Remember when Helen Clark quit Parliament? One of the Labour List MPs, Twyford I believe desperately wanted the Mount Albert nomination.
    However if the party gave it to him and he won Judith Tizard was next in line. Hooton proposed that National run a campaign with a slogan like “Vote Twyford and get Tizard too”.

    The Labour Party seemed to totally lose their nerve and insisted that it hat to be a new person, in this case David Shearer.
    Now the Labour Party is running the same scare tactic approach.
    Congratulations. It took you a long time but you are finally getting the hang of things. Have you said thank you to the method’s inventor?

    • Leftie 10.1

      P Off to your condescending claptrap Alwyn.

    • Heh,… Tootin Hooton,…

      What was that Hooton said about Key and his tax havens again , Trev ?…

      Oh yes, … that he wasn’t too happy with Key and the way his govt is acting these days…

      Wise fella , that Hooton,… already sniffing the winds of change to be ready for the next changing of the guard…

  11. ScottGN 11

    It looks like the PM can’t get away from Parmjeet fast enough. When she loses on Saturday it’ll be because her campaign was not just rubbish to start with (after all she’s a pretty rubbish MP) but it spectacularly fell to bits with the arse-over sting they and their lackeys in the media tried to pull on Michael Wood early on. Take a bow (again) Stephen Joyce!

    • Wensleydale 11.1

      Mr Fix-It seems to be losing his touch. Mr Balls-It-Up-Completely is probably more appropriate ever since the Northland campaign.

    • Who this guy?

      The National party campaign manager for the Northland seat who gifted it to Winston Peters NZ First ?

      Our one and only behind – the – scenes- back – door – man who made damn sure John Campbell was silenced when Campbell fronted a brilliant documentary covering the skulduggery behind the illegal setting up , imprisonment and extradition of Kim Dotcom?

      ( BTW : TV3 has taken that documentary offline … wonder why , Mr Joyce…)

      Some would call it Karma, others would say you reap what you sow …

  12. But fear not,… we have other resources….

    Think very , very carefully who you vote for this Saturday,…. and then ask yourself, …

    ”Do I really want to continue support for a govt that behaves like this ? ” …

    If not, … then you know who you should be voting for.

  13. And yes , this is not about John Campbell , or Kim Dotcom or Pike River or dildos thrown at Stephen Joyce,… but it IS all about seeing the broader picture of just what sort of govt this is and just what sort of PM John Key is .

    And the character , ethics and morals of those who are in positions of power yet abuse that privilege DO have a huge impact on a nations peoples, – as do economics. Particularity neo liberal economics.

    And so again, think CAREFULLY who you vote for this coming Saturday. A vote for blue is a vote for the continuance of the same sort of duplicity we have seen for the past 8 years.

  14. Cinny 14

    All the best to local man Michael Wood

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