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Tamihere confirms interest in Waitakere

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Tamihere confirms interest in Waitakere

3News NZ

John Tamihere (file)

John Tamihere (file)

Talkback host and former Labour Party cabinet minister John Tamihere says he is looking seriously at standing again for Parliament.

He told Q+A today that it was too early in the electoral cycle to be definitive.

The 53-year-old said he enjoyed being a political commentator but "you do have to make a decision sooner or later as to whether you are going to jump in the ring or not".

He said he had been lobbied to stand in the 2014 election.

Media reported last week that Mr Tamihere was considering standing in the west Auckland seat of Waitakere for Labour.

That would pit him against Carmel Sepuloni, who lost by just nine votes to Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

Ms Sepuloni has said there is a good chance she will stand again for Labour.

"There's a nomination race to be won if you go down that track so I'm looking seriously at it," Mr Tamihere said.

When it was put to him that he would have to get past gays, unionists and women to win a Labour nomination for Waitakere, Mr Tamihere said: "The tussle and the contest, in the event that I did flag, I'd look forward to".

Mr Tamihere hosts a RadioLIVE show with Willie Jackson and heads the Waipareira Trust.

He was a member of parliament from 1999 and 2005. Controversies he was embroiled in included accusations of financial wrong-doing and insulting women and then Labour leader Helen Clark in an interview with Investigate magazine that he argued was off the record.

NZN

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Comments

8/10/2012 12:50:16 p.m.

adam wrote:

John Tamihere was totally correct on TV1 Q+A. Capitalismis is broken! i totally agree with that comment. i love capitalism but not when corruption takes control. Good work john!!!

8/10/2012 4:49:27 a.m.

Moana wrote:

Mr Tamahere is better off with the Maori Party or with National. It's obvious of his intentions in here to oppose Labour. Given the public reception of Ms Bennett at the moment, Sepuloni stands a good chance. And Mr Tamahere knows that so what does he do?

7/10/2012 5:19:34 p.m.

Kevin Middleton wrote:

Perhaps a wee chat with Owen Glenn may afford an alternative.

7/10/2012 4:52:46 p.m.

Gerry Fennelly wrote:

So it is all about him and not the people that he has hurt by his attacks in the past. Can he really believe that women , Asians, Gays and older people are going to forgive and vote for him? I would have to ? his insight

7/10/2012 3:10:50 p.m.

Jim Seaview wrote:

QUOTE: "Media reported last week that Mr Tamihere was considering standing in the west Auckland seat of Waitakere for Labour." HE SHOULD WELL - as the Labour party have increased the number of women politicians and therefore increasing his chances of insulting more women!!!!

7/10/2012 2:43:10 p.m.

Craig Young wrote:

Given that Carmel Sepuloni very nearly won the seat off Paula Bennett last time, she should be reselected.

As for Tamihere, he's too much of a loose cannon. He would be better off in a caucus more representative of his frankly neanderthal attitudes toward women and LGBTs, like New Zealand First.