Former TVNZ broadcaster Shane Taurima is set to be the Maori Party’s candidate for Tamaki Makaurau.
Newshub has learned Mr Taurima received unanimous support at a local selection meeting on Sunday.
Mr Taurima has a chequered political history, with two failed attempts at Labour Party candidacies - including Tamaki Makarau.
He was forced to give up the candidacy and resign as TVNZ’s general manager of Māori and Pacific programmes after he held a political meeting at the state broadcaster.
Until then Mr Taurima had a stellar broadcasting career, including hosting TVNZ’s Sunday current affairs show, Marae, which interviewed Maori politicians on a regular basis.
Mr Taurima beat lawyer Cinnamon Whitlock for the Tamaki Makaurau nomination, which now has to be confirmed by the Maori Party’s National Council.
He is currently working as a senior advisor to Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell.
The Tamaki Makaurau seat is currently held by first term Labour MP Peeni Henare who won by a majority 1,462 vote.
The seat could be crucial to the outcome of the Election, as Labour currently holds six of the seven Maori seats. If the Maori Party wins some of them back, it may give National enough seats to govern without needing Winston Peters.
Newshub.
