Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez March has been selected by local party members as their candidate for Mt Albert in the general election. Photo / Supplied
Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez March has been selected by local party members as their candidate for Mt Albert in the general election. Photo / Supplied
The Green Party is making a push deep into a Labour stronghold by announcing its fourth “two-tick” campaign for this year’s election, where it will fight for both the party and electorate vote.
Green MP Ricardo Menendez March was confirmed last night as the candidate to run in Mt Albert, former Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s seat, which is the party’s third-highest polling electorate where it gained 20 per cent of the vote share at the last election.
Menendez March is the spokesman for immigration and social development, and since entering Parliament in 2020 has been a vocal advocate, particularly for migrant and beneficiary rights, rising through the party ranks.
Mt Albert is a Labour stronghold, held by the party since its inception in 1946. Ardern, the outgoing MP, won it in both 2017 and then 2020, the latter with a majority of 72 per cent and besting National MP Melissa Lee in second place by more than 21,000 votes.
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark earlier held the seat for more than two decades.
With Ardern having resigned, Labour list MP Helen White was recently selected as the party’s candidate in Mt Albert.
White lost in Auckland Central in 2020 in a high-profile contest with Green MP Chloe Swarbrick, who also ran a campaign for both the electorate and party vote.
Green Party candidates are not automatically able to campaign for both themselves and the party vote and need to request permission from their local branch, essentially convincing them they are capable of winning the seat.
Previously such campaigns have been run sparingly, including Marama Davidson in Tāmaki Makaurau in 2020.
There are already now an unprecedented four two-tick campaigns for the party ahead of this year’s election in October, including Swarbrick again in Auckland Central, Julie Anne Genter in Rongotai and Tamatha Paul in Wellington Central. Former Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate Efeso Collins has also expressed interest in doing so.
Labour list MP Helen White will stand as the party's candidate for Mt Albert. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Menendez March said Swarbrick’s campaign in 2020 highlighted how effective the Greens could be at running grassroots campaigns.
“We have never run a two-tick campaign [in Mt Albert] before, but it is our third-highest polling electorate and I believe it will be a real contest.”
Menendez March said he would look to adopt lessons from Swarbrick’s campaign, including running a strong ground campaign, with doorknocking alongside meeting people in the community.
Menendez March grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, and became New Zealand’s first Latin American MP when he entered Parliament in 2020 on the Green Party list, coming in at number 10.
The MP, who in his maiden speech described himself as a “proud socialist, transgressive queer”, lives in the Mt Albert area and has been involved in the community for the past 15 years.
Before entering politics he worked as a community organiser, heading Auckland Action Against Poverty.
He holds a wide range of portfolios, with immigration and social development and employment among those in which he has been most effective.
Menendez March has been a vocal advocate for migrant rights and pushing for an amnesty for overstayers, alongside pushing for stronger welfare reform, including removing various benefit sanctions and increasing income support payments.
His work ethic appears to have paid off within the party, with an initial listing published on Monday showing him up three places to the very winnable position of seven, with current polling suggesting the party is on track to get between eight and 10 seats.
Menendez March said Mt Albert deserved a “bold, unwavering MP in their corner”.
“I have been a part of this community for 15 years, and I understand that Mt Albert is at a crossroads.
“We have an incredible, diverse community that supported each other in the wake of the recent floods, but face challenges in housing, transport and a lack of climate-resilient infrastructure.
“I’m ready to put my experience as a community advocate to work alongside the people of Mt Albert in Parliament next term.”
Key local issues would be fighting for better and more frequent public transport, along with advocating for better housing and improved rental rights, he said.
Mt Albert has one of the lowest home-ownership rates in the country – at 28 per cent, the seventh-lowest of the general electorates.
Based on the 2018 Census, it could be described as the “Generation X capital of New Zealand”, with the share of those aged 30-54 at 39.3 per cent the highest among general electorates.
The Herald sought comment from White, recently selected as Labour’s candidate in the seat, but was referred to the party’s campaign chair, Megan Woods.
Woods said in a statement that what other parties did was “a matter for them”.
“All of our Labour candidates will be focused on getting as many party votes as possible for Labour and winning every seat we can.”
White has been a Labour MP since 2020 and before entering Parliament she worked as a barrister specialising in employment law, representing unions, NGOs and individuals in need.
On the surge in two-tick campaigns this year, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said it reflected both the “calibre of candidates we have and how we’re growing as a party”.
“Our campaign committee would not approve a candidate running a two-tick campaign unless we thought we had a genuine shot at winning the seat.
“It’s going to be a huge year, and we can’t wait.”
