Labour releases election list

10:08 pm on 23 June 2014

Labour Party president Moira Coatsworth says Labour will have to campaign hard in this year's election to lift its party vote to ensure some of the new blood on its list gets into Parliament.

Jacinda Ardern. Photo: LABOUR PARTY

Labour released its list of ranked candidates on Monday afternoon, a day later than planned.

Ms Coatsworth said several new candidates on the list have got places in the top 30 or 40. They include Priyanca Radhakrishnan, a former Ministry of Women's Affairs policy adviser, who at number 23 is the highest-ranked newcomer.

Others are Rachel Jones and Liz Craig who Ms Coatsworth believed all have winnable positions on the party list.

Labour's Auckland spokesperson Phil Twyford Photo: RNZ

Fourteen of the top 30 are women, as Labour tries to get a greater gender balance in Parliament. Nanaia Mahuta and Jacinda Ardern have been promoted into the top 10.

Sitting MPs Chris Hipkins and Phil Twyford are the two biggest movers: Mr Twyford has jumped from 33rd in 2011 to seventh this year, while Mr Hipkins from 30th to ninth.

David Parker, Grant Robertson, David Shearer and Iain Lees-Galloway also move up the list.

Kelvin Davis, who has risen five places to 18th on the list, said MPs who stood aside to allow others to move up have shown team spirit.

Kelvin Davis Photo: Supplied

Trevor Mallard, who holds the safe Labour seat of Hutt South, says he did so to give people like Mr Davis a chance to be higher.

Mr Davis said he aimed to win the Te Tai Tokerau seat, held by Mana leader Hone Harawira, but admitted it would be a tough battle as he has tried three times in the past.

However, he said many people in Northland are cynical of Mr Harawira's alliance with internet businessman Kim Dotcom.

Donation allegations

The release of the list on Monday comes as Labour continues to struggle to shrug off allegations it received a hefty donation from millionaire businessman Donghua Liu in 2007.

Liu is due to be sentenced on domestic violence charges and was at the centre of a scandal in May this year, which led to the ministerial resignation of National MP Maurice Williamson, which Labour sought to capitalise on.

The New Zealand Herald says it has a signed statement from Liu which says he paid $100,000 for a bottle of wine signed by Helen Clark in 2007. It earlier said he paid $15,000 for a book signed by the former Labour prime minister. Labour says it has no record of either of these, and anybody with evidence of this should front up.

Labour had intended to release the list on Sunday, but delayed it after being forced to respond to the allegations.

The party had its moderating committee at the weekend finalise the list. General secretary Tim Barnett said the committee was one of the most constructive ever, and it had been very thorough which had also taken time.

Mr Barnett said there is no evidence that Labour had received any money from Donghua Liu - let alone the large amount alleged. However, he could not categorically say that Mr Liu has given no money.