Will Angie make it into parliament?

Bay of Plenty Labour candidate Angie Warren-Clark could enter parliament on the list, if special votes lift Labour’s party vote. Photo and video: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

It will be a nervous couple of weeks for Angie Warren-Clark, as she waits to see whether special votes will secure her a place in parliament on the Labour Party's list.

The Bay of Plenty candidate failed to unseat National's Todd Muller on Saturday night, but may still make it into parliament if Labour's party vote lifts a little.

'It's very close. At this point, I'm the next cab off the rank,” says Angie.

'I'm ranked number 39 on the party list, and we have 45 seats at the moment. We were looking at 37 per cent to get me in.”

Labour's current share of the party vote is 35.8 per cent, but this may increase when special votes are counted.

It's been a whirlwind entry into politics for the Tauranga Women's Refuge manager, who took time out from her job to campaign for the Bay of Plenty electorate several weeks ago.

'It's been a bit of a rollercoaster. I'm a little disappointed in the nationwide party vote for Labour, but I don't think we could have worked any harder. I'm really proud of my team and the work they put in.

'We always knew these were safe National seats – but I think we've shown they're not that safe.”

Although it remains to be seen whether Angie becomes another Western Bay of Plenty Labour MP along with colleague Jan Tinetti, she says whatever the outcome, she'll be pleased.

'I do love my job at Tauranga Women's Refuge. So either way, I'm happy.”

If she gets into parliament, she'd like to see more help in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty for those suffering from drug problems.

'I'd like to see a residential drug rehab unit in Tauranga. It might not sound really positive, but I think it's needed in our community. We don't have any beds here for rehabilitation around drug use, despite a substantial number of our residents suffering from substance addiction.”

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2 comments

The wonders of MMP?

Posted on 24-09-2017 13:42 | By MISS ADVENTURE

The voters spoke and she did not stand a chance, in fact not even close. So the wonders of MMP step in and she goes to WTGN anyway, what a joke it all is.


Too many MPs

Posted on 24-09-2017 15:07 | By hapukafin

We have too many MPs for a country of our size,we dont need more hanger ons that hasnt won a position to bleed the tax payers any more


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