Fixing damage first job: Little

Andrew Little. Photo / Listener.

Labour Party president Andrew Little says its next candidate in Te Atatu will have to repair damage done to it by ousted MP Chris Carter to stop the seat slipping into National's hands.

The party will select its candidate today. After a threat from Mr Carter to stand against the party as an independent if his preferred candidate, Phil Twyford, does not win that selection, Mr Little said Mr Carter was now irrelevant and any remaining local support was "dwindling rapidly".

He said Labour was already damaged by Mr Carter's behaviour.

"There will be many people who say it has all been a bit messy and this is not looking good for Labour. We have to have a candidate who can counter that."

Although Mr Carter had a 5298 majority in 2008, the party vote was evenly split, with National winning 12 more party votes than Labour.

List MP Mr Twyford is among the candidates and will be hoping to save himself from the embarrassment of missing out on his fourth hope for an electorate seat. He lost out on the Waitakere seat to Carmel Sepuloni. He was also earlier discouraged by the party hierarchy from putting his name forward in two seats - Mt Albert, now held by David Shearer, and Auckland Central, in which Jacinda Ardern will stand.

Mr Carter said he believed Mr Twyford had the best chance of keeping the seat out of National Party hands. Although not a local, Kingsland resident Mr Twyford had a profile from his work opposing the Super City. Mr Carter said if Mr Twyford was not chosen, he himself would consider standing again to keep the seat in centre-left hands.

Other strong contenders include communications consultant Kate Sutton, and university lecturer Hamish McCracken, who also lost out to Carmel Sepuloni in Waitakere.

Yesterday Mr Twyford did not wish to comment until after the selection but is understood to be taking some heart from Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who tried four times before she was selected as a candidate for the Labor Party.

Mr Twyford has the support of at least three unions with voting rights - the Service and Food Workers' Union, the Maritime Union and the Amalgamated Workers Union.

Mr Little is standing aside from the selection panel because Mr McCracken was an EPMU organiser about five years ago. However, Mr Little said yesterday that the union had not endorsed any candidate.

Mr Carter said he did not know what his political future held and he might leave politics before the election if a good job came along - forcing an unwelcome byelection for Labour.

Mr Carter is writing a book about the previous Labour Government, which he hopes to finish by March.

Te Atatu contenders

* Phil Twyford - Labour list MP

* Rajen Prasad - list MP

* Nick Bakulich - small-business owner

* Jim Bradshaw - law student

* Dr Michael Kidd - barrister

Ann Palacommunity advocate