Labour election move

Press, 14 April 1980, Page 11

Labour election move

PA Auckland The member of. Parliament for Te Atatu (Dr M. E. R. Bassett) will co-ordi-nate the Labour Party’s campaign in Auckland during the Northern Maori by-election. Labour organisers believe the by-election could be won or lost in the Auckland urban area. In the last General Election nearly 4 per cent of the 8638 ordinary votes cast in the electorate came from the urban area.

Dr Bassett, a former president of the party's regional organisation and who is regarded as a good election organiser, has beer called in to revive the grassroots organisation. The electorate organ-

isation has always been weak. Only the Auckland Central Maori branch and the Mount Roskill Maori b anch survived the defection from’ the party of the sitting member, Mr M. Rata.

Three more branches are being formed on the North Shore and in the north Labour hopes to have branches soon in W a i t a n i. Kawakawa, MoereWa, • Kaikohe, and Onerahi. The four main contenders for the seat are Mr Kai Hui, Dr Bruce Gregory, Mr Rameka Cope, and Mr Bert McLean/

Mr Cope, a community officer for the Maori Affairs Department, and Mt Hui, a district community

officer with the depart- ’ ment in Auckland, have both seen officially nominated as labour party candidates for the Northern Maori seat. Dr Gregory said he had yet to be offi- ; cially nominated- He is a former president of the Tai Tokerau District Maori Council. ’ Mr Rata has given notice of his intention to . resign on April 30 and force a by-election but has not officially done so. i Mr Cope said Maoris in Northland were disturbed because they had not seen as much of Mr Rata as they could have done. “I speak the language and ■. know the people: if I am named as candidate Mr Rata will , have a fight on?, his hands,” he said.