Labour MP Louisa Wall (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Waikato) will not stand in Manurewa this election, despite being the MP for the South Auckland seat since 2011. Instead, she will seek a position on Labour's party list.
In a media release, Wall says she made the decision to withdraw her nomination "in order to bring to an end disagreement over the contested nomination process for the South Auckland seat."
"I don’t want the selection process matters to become an unwelcome distraction for the party and the government when all of our efforts need to be on rebuilding our country and our economy.”
Wall expressed regret about no longer representing Manurewa but says she will devote herself to campaigning for the party in the Māori seats.
“I’ve been truly humbled by the loyalty and passion of the people in Manurewa and I’m sorry I won’t be continuing to represent you as the proud member for Manurewa, a position in which I have served for the last 9 years.
“I will devote my time to campaigning across the Māori electorate seats and bid for a position on the Labour Party list.”