Wairarapa woman launches party bid

CONTENDER: Priyanca Radhakrishnan, who is seeking the Labour Party nomination for Wairarapa. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

A Carterton woman is lodging a bid to become the Labour Party's candidate for Wairarapa, ensuring a contest for the nomination.

Deputy chair of the Labour Electorate Committee in Wairarapa, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, 34, confirmed this week she has put her name forward to go head-to-head with the committee chair Kieran McAnulty who declared his intention several weeks ago.

Ms Radhakrishnan lives in Carterton with her husband Ewan Richardson and works as a policy analyst for the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Wellington.

Raised in Singapore, she has lived in New Zealand for 10 years, has been an active member of the Labour Party since joining in 2006, and a Carterton resident for four years.

Ms Radhakrishnan said she had been thinking about standing for Labour for several years.

"I didn't feel quite ready for it last election, but I am ready for it now."

Nominations close on Friday and the candidate will be chosen at a selection meeting in Masterton on December 15.

The contest for the Labour nod underlines a lively interest in next year's election as far as Wairarapa is concerned.

Not only are at least two people seeking to represent Labour but the sitting National MP, John Hayes, is being challenged by businessman Alistair Scott.

Ms Radhakrishnan said she had been instrumental in setting up a Labour Party women's branch in Wairarapa last year and in the past organised the women's refugee Shakti for Asian, African and Middle Eastern women in New Zealand.

"I also lead the establishment of an ethnic women's refugee in the Bay of Plenty."

She said she believed experience in advocating for people was an important skill to have as an effective electorate MP.

"I also have research and policy experience.

"The combination of these skills means I can find out what the issues are, analyse them and advocate effectively, in Parliament, on behalf of those who face the issues.

"It is the combination of those skills and attributes that sets me apart from Mr McAnulty and will allow me to hit the ground running if I were to be chosen," Ms Radhakrishnan said.

Her vision for Wairarapa is to have sustainable growth, job security and safety and decent wages for families.

On local issues, Ms Radhakrishnan said that she has been "keeping tabs" on the progress of the Wairarapa Water use Project and the Wairarapa Unitary Authority proposal.

"My concern is that if we become part of a so-called super city the voice of Wairarapa will be lost, and I don't want to see that."

Once nominations close the aspiring candidates will have to front up to three question and answer sessions to be held in Featherston, Masterton and Dannevirke prior to facing the rigours of the selection meeting.

Ms Radhakrishnan said she and Mr McAnulty were pledged to remain friends regardless of the outcome and the unsuccessful bidder would work on the candidate's campaign committee.