Tanczos will return to Parliament in Donald's place

Nandor Tanczos

Nandor Tanczos has decided he will take the seat in Parliament made vacant by the death of the Green Party's co-leader Rod Donald.

Mr Tanczos was an MP in the last Parliament, and just missed being re-elected on the party's list in the September 17 election.

Announcing his decision today, Mr Tanczos said: "Rod Donald's death is an enormous blow, personally and politically, but the work continues."

The Greens won six seats in the election, and Mr Tanczos was in seventh place on their list.

After Mr Donald died suddenly on Sunday, the party gave Mr Tanczos time to decide whether he wanted to take the seat.

If he had not, the party could have put in another candidate from its list.

"Rod always encouraged me to be myself within the constrained environment of Parliament and I intend to do that, with a vengeance," he said.

Mr Tanczos, a Rastafarian, is best known for the campaign he ran in the last Parliament for the decriminalisation of cannabis.

He said it had been a hard decision to make.

"With Rod's demise we faced an enormous hole in the party, and there's an enormous amount of work to be done," he told National Radio.

"I think it's important to be with my colleagues now, and I do have parliamentary experience."

Mr Tanczos said he had no problem dealing with life outside Parliament.

"Actually it's been bliss. I've been spending time with my daughter, time with my partner, time in the garden.

"The thought of going back to the toxic hellhole that Parliament is at times is quite a daunting prospect, so it's been a hard decision."

The party has to elect another co-leader to replace Mr Donald. Under party rules it has to be a man - the other co-leader is Jeanette Fitzsimons.

Mr Tanczos' return to Parliament will mean there are two men in its caucus. The other is Keith Locke. Neither is likely to replace Mr Donald as co-leader.

Mr Locke holds extreme views on foreign policy and Mr Tanczos is too closely identified with the cannabis campaign.

The party could choose someone from its executive who is not an MP.

Ms Fitzsimons has said Mr Donald is not likely to be replaced as co-leader until the party's annual conference around the middle of next year.

- NZPA