Harre takes on PM on home turf

Internet Party Leader Laila Harre at home in Auckland. Photo / Doug Sherring

Internet Party Leader Laila Harré will stand against Prime Minister John Key in his Helensville electorate, she said this evening.

She was standing against Mr Key "because the Prime Minister has some explaining to do" and she wanted to debate him at candidate meetings "away from his army of spin doctors".

She would be asking him "to explain his Government's relationship with Hollywood and Skycity".

"I'll be asking him to tell us what's in the TPPA he is negotiating behind closed doors and to open the books on our intelligence relationships."

Ms Harré also said she would be taking Mr Key to task over the economy.

"What happened to the jobs he promised? As many jobs have been destroyed on his watch as have been created. There is no plan from Mr Key. We rely heavily on other countries for skilled people while expecting large numbers of our young to learn on empty stomachs."

She said while New Zealand had been talking about a about a knowledge-based economy for decades, Mr Key was "holding the rest of New Zealand back with his ignorance of the digital age".

Mr Key holds Helensville, where Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom's mansion is located, with a majority of 21,066.

He told 3News today he was not bothered by Ms Harré's challenge.

"I'm more than happy if she wants to. All I know is we won't be having much of a debate about policy because the only policy the Internet Party has got is to make sure Kim Dotcom's not extradited."