Congratulations Meka Whaitiri

Written By: - Date published: 6:13 pm, May 26th, 2013 - 51 comments
Categories: labour - Tags:

Meka Whaitiri has been selected as Labour’s candidate for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.

Congratulations, Meka. Now it’s time to start the campaign.

51 comments on “Congratulations Meka Whaitiri ”

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  1. karol 1
    26 May 2013 at 6:22 pm

    Hmmm. if I was on the Maori roll, I’d vote for Marama.

    Congratulations to all 4 candidates – a worthy line up.

  2. Yes 2
    26 May 2013 at 6:24 pm

    Big slide in labour and greens support on one news …this is about policy not campaigning and getting rid of the greens as a dominate third wheel. Labour needs to get back on it’s own unicycle and just be labour and nothing else

    • karol 2.1
      26 May 2013 at 6:27 pm

      Then again, the TV3 News poll tells a different story – shows that taking one poll too seriously is like reading tea leaves.

      • Yes 2.1.1
        26 May 2013 at 6:37 pm

        Umm tv3 results are the same. National can govern alone. Shearer support nearly single digit. Keys preferred prime minister. Also even Patrick gower says labour needs to shake the greens

        • Pascal's bookie 2.1.1.1
          26 May 2013 at 6:39 pm

          “even Patrick gower” lol

        • karol 2.1.1.2
          26 May 2013 at 6:49 pm

          Also even Patrick gower says labour needs to shake the greens

          Are you sure about that?

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.3
          26 May 2013 at 6:53 pm

          Both polls have Labour on 33%, which is consistent with the latest Roy Morgan. Both show National with options in forming a governing coalition; Labour unfortunately has no options and falls short of being able to form a government in both TV1 and TV3 polls.

        • gobsmacked 2.1.1.4
          26 May 2013 at 6:54 pm

          National can govern alone.

          As we heard after every single poll – yes, every one, you cannot find a single exception – in 2011. I may need to repeat that for you once more: every single poll in 2011.

          So why aren’t they governing alone now?

        • Ant 2.1.1.5
          26 May 2013 at 7:41 pm

          The Green peril seems to be the Nat’s game at the moment – trying to convince everyone they are far left loonies.

        • Blue 2.1.1.6
          26 May 2013 at 8:18 pm

          Ditching Shearer would be more productive than ditching the Greens.

          Labour has to earn votes, they are not magically granted to them by default. The fact that the Greens have been so successful in hoovering them up tells you that the problem is with Labour. Blaming the Greens ain’t going to fix it.

        • Saarbo 2.1.1.7
          26 May 2013 at 8:20 pm

          Labour need to shake Shearer as Leader.

        • Murray Olsen 2.1.1.8
          27 May 2013 at 12:36 am

          Patrick Gower should plant himself head down in a tub of compost and do interviews using his toes to sign. It’d make more sense.

  3. Anne 3
    26 May 2013 at 6:44 pm

    Well, if Gower says Labour needs to shake the Greens then clearly Labour needs to stick with the Greens. Gower, Hooton, Boag et al always advise the opposite in the hope Labour will fall of it.

    No self respecting political party of a left persuasion is going to take any notice of them.

    Anyway my congratulations to Meka Whaitiri.

  4. weka 4
    26 May 2013 at 6:47 pm

    Has anyone seen an analysis of Ikaroa-Rawhiti and how it votes? Aren’t the Greens and Mana going to split the vote? Wouldn’t it have been better to collaborate? Or are they assuming Labour will win the seat and so are standing candidates strategically with next year in mind? Where does the MP fit in?

    The 2011 results http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikaroa-Rāwhiti#2011_election

    In the by-election there is only one vote, the party vote. How does that usually play out in by-elections?

  5. Yes 5
    26 May 2013 at 6:50 pm

    It’s not the reporters..the polls show that the voters don’t want to combination. Time to get Labour to stand on it’s own two feet. The greens are slowly rebranding labour..need to wake up to this

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      26 May 2013 at 6:56 pm

      Labour has no practical or realistic options in trying to govern alone, it would require moving from 33% in the polls to 49% or 50% in the next 18 months. So it’s got to be with the Greens.

    • Anne 5.2
      26 May 2013 at 6:58 pm

      Rubbish Yes. We’ve never had a single political party govern NZ since we changed to MMP. That is precisely why voters voted for MMP in the first place (and ever since) because THEY DID NOT WANT A SINGLE PARTY TO GOVERN US AGAIN.

      Btw Yes, this thread is NOT about MMP. It’s about the byelection (FPP) in Ikaroa Rawhiti. Are you trying to hijack it to make it about something else?

      • Tigger 5.2.1
        26 May 2013 at 9:48 pm

        Agree. Anne. Thread is supposed to be congratulatory. I read several MSM pieces that were sure Taurima was a lock. Clearly wrong. Great choices from the left parties, will be a good contest.

        I really like Meka’s statement here. http://news.tangatawhenua.com/archives/22310. I wish her lots of luck.

      • Yes 5.2.2
        27 May 2013 at 12:18 am

        Not hijacking just saying when labour announced their candidate greens did too and on the same night two polls showed labour greens unable to increase support. Where is the planning? Labour will win the Maori seat…but greens have hijacked the by election AGAIN..or front seat popcorn eaters like me.

        Shake the greens ASAP..I want labour to stand on it’s own too feet. What is wrong with that. Norman is a communist …better you get your head around that the better.

    • gobsmacked 5.3
      26 May 2013 at 7:00 pm

      I don’t understand what those cliches actually mean.

      Can you give examples of different Labour policies that would mean “standing on their own two feet”?

      • North 5.3.1
        26 May 2013 at 7:19 pm

        Isn’t it correct that the TV3 conclusion that National could govern alone is predicated on NZ First not making the 5% ? Wouldn’t it be very different if it did ? There’d be a distinct 5% block in play at a percentage cost of only1.5%, less if the defections were from Labour AND National.

        Correct me if that’s nonsense. It’s a view reached without alot of thought or consideration of figures from any prior poll which had NZ First meeting the threshold.

        Good wishes Meka !

      • Yes 5.3.2
        27 May 2013 at 5:31 am

        I want to see labour policies…not labour green policies. I want to see labour Maori policies. Can anyone tell me one Maori labour policy.

    • Pascal's bookie 5.4
      26 May 2013 at 7:03 pm

      There isn’t a character limit on blogs. Could you explain what you mean? Because it’s pretty incomprehensible.

      Individual voters state who they would vote for. There is no group ‘the voters’ who think a thing.

  6. Lanthanide 6
    26 May 2013 at 7:04 pm

    And this sort of post is why people accuse The Standard of being a “Labour blog”.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      26 May 2013 at 7:07 pm

      I think the selection of a candidate for an important by-election is worth noting.

      • Lanthanide 6.1.1
        26 May 2013 at 7:15 pm

        So do I. Pity the Greens, Mana and MP candidates didn’t get special congratulatory posts.

        • Te Reo Putake 6.1.1.1
          26 May 2013 at 7:21 pm

          They’re not going be an MP in a few weeks.

          • Lanthanide 6.1.1.1.1
            26 May 2013 at 7:23 pm

            She hasn’t won yet. This post congratulates her for her candidacy, not for her incipient win.

            • Te Reo Putake 6.1.1.1.1.1
              26 May 2013 at 7:35 pm

              I didn’t write the post; and I didn’t realise pointing out the bleeding obvious was somehow off thread.

          • Colonial Viper 6.1.1.1.2
            27 May 2013 at 12:21 am

            They’re not going be an MP in a few weeks.

            Seriously, expressions of electoral arrogance like this is annoying to voters.

        • QoT 6.1.1.2
          26 May 2013 at 7:23 pm

          I think it’s a fair point. Marama Davidson had a whole post at The Daily Blog. Of course, she’s already a contributor there along with apparently every other candidate for everything.

        • ghostrider888 6.1.1.3
          26 May 2013 at 7:29 pm

          that is a good point Lanth.

        • Colonial Viper 6.1.1.4
          26 May 2013 at 7:39 pm

          If a Green supporter writes something up on their candidate I think it would go up as a notice on The Standard. An on to it Labour supporter simply beat them to the punch is all I see.

          • Lanthanide 6.1.1.4.1
            26 May 2013 at 8:48 pm

            This was published under “NOTICES AND FEATURES”, rather than a particular author’s name. In this case likely because of the brevity of it.

            But my point here is that whoever wrote it decided it was worth mentioning that Labour had picked their candidate, but didn’t apparently give a second thought to any of the other candidates. Lynn repeatedly stresses this is a left-wing blog, not a labour blog. I’m just pointing out an instance where people rightly get the impression that it is a labour blog. I’m not telling people what to write, I’m just pointing out that someone took the effort to point out the labour candidate and it would’ve taken only a few minutes to fill out the others, but they didn’t make the effort because evidently they didn’t care or didn’t think about it.

        • karol 6.1.1.5
          26 May 2013 at 7:46 pm

          The thing is the TS has a range of authors, and we are each capable of providing our own perspective. I’ve just posted mine.

    • Rhinocrates 6.2
      26 May 2013 at 7:31 pm

      The Labour caucus front bench doesn’t! Mike Williams certainly doesn’t; “Nutters” is his epithet.

  7. millsy 7
    27 May 2013 at 7:52 am

    I dont know about anyone else, but I find her rather uninspiring…

    • Rhinocrates 7.1
      27 May 2013 at 8:48 pm

      Well, she’s got some awfully big shoes to fill. Parekura was certainly a wonderful guy who is and will be missed sorely, but she shows that connection to the community and competence which is promising. I hope that she has his breadth of personality too, in her own way – or that Marama Davidson does if she wins.

      Glass half full and all that.

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