The Green Party's co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw will team up for a nationwide party vote campaign this year, as Davidson announces she won't stand for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat.
The Green Party co-leader this morning announced she will stand as a list-only candidate after having run in the Māori seat since the 2014 general election.
It comes after her counterpart, James Shaw, also pulled out of his long-standing candidacy in the Wellington Central electorate. Davidson said the pair would now instead focus their time on running a nationwide party vote campaign.
"I have decided to be a list-only candidate so I can focus on leading a strong Green Party campaign alongside James Shaw for the party vote all over Aotearoa New Zealand.
"I cannot think of a more important contribution I can make than fighting for the party vote all over Aotearoa to make sure that not only are we back in Parliament with more Green MPs but that we have a stronger hand to push the next government".
"It also means I can prioritise my ministerial work in violence prevention and kaupapa Māori responses to homelessness for the rest of the term," she said in a statement.
Darleen Tana Hoff-Nielson will instead stand as the Green Party candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau at the election in October.
"What Tāmaki Makaurau deserves is the incredible focus and commitment of Darleen as a weaver of people, culture and ideas," Davidson continued.
"Darleen brings matauranga Māori, a marae upbringing, a lifetime of environmental mahi and experience in business, science and grassroots activism to our Green kaupapa."
Labour's Peeni Henare is the current MP for Tāmaki Makaurau.
In 2020, Davidson ran a two-tick campaign for the Māori electorate race alongside Chlöe Swarbrick, who ran in Auckland Central. Swarbrick is now an electorate MP.
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