Selection panel to be chosen on Saturday

Press, 5 April 1989, Page 9

Selection panel to be chosen on Saturday

Labour’s mayoral candidate for the Christchurch local body elections will be chosen by a panel of five party members.

The five will be elected at the party’s Canterbury regional council’s annual meeting and area conference on Saturday.

Their names would not be made public until later, the Canterbury regional co-ordinator, Mr Peter Dyhrberg, said.

At Saturday’s conference he will call for nominations for the selection panel. To be nominated a person must live in the greater Christchurch metropolitan area (the

new Christchurch City) and be a party member. A secret ballot of mem : bers at the conference will be taken to elect the panel. It will have sole responsibility for the selection of the person to carry Labour’s banner in the Mayoral race. There is provision within the party’s constitution for the panel to take into account a poll from the floor of those at the selection meeting.

The date of that selection was given earlier this year by party officials as June 6. Mr Dyhrberg would not confirm that date yesterday, nor that it had been brought for-

ward. The chairman of the party’s local body committee would announce the selection timetable on Saturday, he said. The chairman of that committee, which is charged with running Labour’s election campaign, is Mr Mike MorleyBunker.

Speakers at Saturday’s conference will include the Minister of External Relations and Trade, Mr Moore, and a Mayoral aspirant, Cr David Close. The annual meeting will begin at 9.30 a.m. at the Aged People’s Welfare Council rooms in Cashel Street. The conference will follow.