Outsted Labour MP Michael Wood has started tidying up the vege garden at his home in Mt Roskill.
Outsted Labour MP Michael Wood has started tidying up the vege garden at his home in Mt Roskill.
Outsted Labour MP Michael Wood has broken his silence since losing his seat of Mt Roskill on Saturday, saying he has spoken with the successful candidate National’s Carlos Cheung to acknowledge his win and congratulate him on a strong result.
In one of the biggest election upsets, Wood trailed the National newcomer by 1429 votes on Saturday’s preliminary count. Wood won the seat in 2020 with a majority of 13,853 votes.
In a Facebook post this morning, Wood said the election night result was clearly a terrible one for Labour, and was sorry to see many great colleagues not make it through.
“The same trend has also played out in Mt Roskill. I’ve taken a few days to rest and spend time with family (and start tidying up the vege garden) and will have more to say once the final results are confirmed,” said Wood.
Wood’s political career has come crashing down after failing to disclose and sell shares in Auckland Airport when he was Minister of Transport.
He quit as a Cabinet Minister in June after it emerged he had more shareholding interests in areas that clashed with his portfolios.
Wood’s failure to manage the conflicts of interest was “beyond frustrating”, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said at the time.
Today Wood said, “being the MP for my beloved community of Mt Roskill has been an extraordinary honour and in big ways and small I have worked every day to try and improve life for people here”.
He said the election night result will be confirmed when all votes are counted and published by the Electoral Commission in early November, saying the number of votes could be about 8000-10,000, and it is important they are fully taken into account.
“If the final results confirm that I am no longer the MP then I will hand over the role with only gratitude to local people for the opportunity to work for and with them,” he said.
Wood thanked his local Labour Electorate Committee and campaign team for their resolute political and personal support over many years.
“The team this year ran our best campaign ever and the result is no reflection on their endeavours. In the end, we faced an extraordinary local swing of 23.5 per cent on the Party Vote from Labour to National - a 10 per cent swing is usually considered ‘landslide’ territory. We have never faced these conditions before in Mt Roskill and more generally across Auckland.
Michael Wood resigned as a Cabinet Minister in June. Photo / Dean Purcell
“While we outperformed this on the candidate vote, a trend that big is hard to buck. There is significant work to be done nationally and particularly in Auckland to rebuild the Labour vote, but with hard work and a focus on Labour’s core mission of delivering for working people, I know we can do it.”
Wood said he was proud of his work as a Labour MP and a minister, listing a number of achievements - ushering in Fair Pay Agreements, reforming workplace health & safety on ports to save lives, rebuilding urban Public Transport networks after Covid and lifting bus driver pay, delivering New Zealand’s biggest ever reducer of emissions in transport the Clean Car Discount, funding the rejuvenation of New Zealand’s rail network, helping to ban the most dangerous military-style weapons after the March 15 terrorist attack, getting New Zealand’s borders re-open after Covid, and delivering on policies to help migrant communities like re-opening the Parent category.
“While the election result must be respected, that doesn’t mean giving the new government a free pass. The gains above and many others will need to be defended against an incoming government with the most regressive disposition we have seen since the early 1990s.
Michael Wood listed rebuilding public transport after Covid and lifting bus driver pay among his achievements. Photo / Jason Oxenham
“While it is appropriate to wish any new government well and to work constructively where possible, there should be no backwards steps taken by Labour in fighting for the people we represent over the next three years and building an agenda and policy base that can once again inspire people and win back government.
“Whether as an MP or not over the next three years, I will play my part in this.”
Wood, who has been touted as a future leader of the Labour Party, gave no indication of whether he plans a political comeback.
