Greens muscle in on Labour's parade

Russel Norman is aiming to stand in the Mt Albert byelection. Photo / Northern Advocate

The Greens are showing Labour no mercy, with co-leader Russel Norman aiming to stand in the Mt Albert byelection, a move that will increase National's chances of dealing Labour a humiliating defeat.

It is a considerable blow to Labour, which earlier made informal approaches asking the Greens not to put up a candidate of any stature because of concerns it would split the centre-left vote. Instead, the Greens are set to symbolically go with one of the strongest candidates possible.

Dr Norman still has to be selected at a meeting next week, although this is likely to be a formality.

His candidacy will put the Labour-Greens relationship under increasing strain, after the Greens this month signed an agreement with National to work with ministers in several policy areas.

Labour has held Mt Albert since the seat was established in 1946. Helen Clark held it at the election with a 10,351 majority - although much of this was due to her personal following.

The party vote showed the difference between Labour and National was much closer, with Labour's majority 2516 votes.

The election revealed that it is a Green-friendly seat: the Green Party won 3846 party votes, or 11 per cent, compared with its national result of 6.7 per cent. Its candidate, Jon Carapiet, got 2019 votes.

If Dr Norman can build on these results it will eat into Labour's majority, closing the gap.

Dr Norman lives in Wellington, but has previously lived in Auckland, mainly on Waiheke Island.

He worked on local and national election campaigns for the party in 1998 and 1999 and was co-convener of the Auckland Greens in 2001. He also worked in Auckland as the out-of-Parliament secretary to Keith Locke and Nandor Tanczos.

He was actively involved in rebuilding the Waiheke and Auckland Green organisation.

Dr Norman said the Greens would focus on local issues such as State Highway 20's Waterview tunnel and public transport and Auckland's governance. The Greens were an independent party, he said, and his standing would not change the relationship with Labour.

He said the Greens were the "underdog" to Labour.

Dr Norman said he did not believe National could win the seat, even if the vote was split.

He said National had ruined its chances with plans to "bulldoze their way through the electorate" with their plans to do away with the Waterview tunnel, and the ramming through of the Auckland governance changes.

Labour leader Phil Goff said Dr Norman's decision was "interesting" but it did not worry Labour.

"He's absolutely entitled to run. We will be very much focused on our own candidate."

RUSSEL NORMAN

* Aged 41. Born in Brisbane, Australia.
* Moved to New Zealand in 1997 to observe Alliance for his political science PhD thesis.
* Became politically active in Australia's Socialist Workers Party, shifted to Greens.
* Partner is Greens staffer Katya Paquin, sister of Oscar-winning actress Anna Paquin.