Labour's Hamilton West by-election candidate denies being part of an ambush protest of a Labour minister on Wednesday.
Stuff reported Georgie Dansey was seen at a protest held by the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) against Health Minister Andrew Little at the University of Waikato. She was reportedly seen alongside union members and left after being approached by the media outlet.
It came just a day after it was announced she would be Labour's candidate for the Hamilton West by-election.
However, in a Facebook post on Wednesday night, Dansey denied being at the university to protest Little.
"You may have seen something in the paper about me today, so thought I should clarify the situation," Dansey wrote.
"I was at the uni today in my capacity as an education sector union rep. I wasn't there to protest the Minister and when it became clear the Minister was being ambushed I left.
"Aside from that I'm having an awesome time on the campaign trail so far and appreciate all your words of support!"
Little is also reported as telling NZHerald Dansey was misled to think he was there in support of the protest. Once she realised what was happening, she left, he told the outlet.
National Party campaign chair Chris Bishop earlier released a statement saying the party was "thrilled to have [Dansey's] support in opposing the Government".
"Labour's new candidate joins a growing list of Hamilton West Labour candidates who appear to deeply dislike the Labour Party. If Labour's own candidate can't support Labour, how can the people of Hamilton West?" Bishop said.
The by-election has been forced by the resignation of former Hamilton West MP Dr Gaurav Sharma. He was kicked out of the Labour caucus in August after making unfounded allegations of bullying and secretly recording colleagues.
Dr Sharma claimed last month Labour was planning to use waka-jumping legislation to force him out closer to next year's general election. If he left Parliament within six months of the election, politicians could choose not to hold a by-election. He was concerned this would leave his Hamilton West constituents without an MP for months.
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has said there was no plan to kick Dr Sharma out and a by-election was a "complete waste of taxpayer money".
Dansey is the chief executive of the Independent Schools Education Association, owns Body Fit Training in Te Awamutu, and was a list candidate for Labour in 2020.
"Georgie's years of experience representing education workers and running her own business makes her ideally suited to advocate for Hamiltonians inside Government and ensure workers and business voices are represented," Labour President Claire Szabó said on Tuesday.
"She brings a great perspective and represents Labour's values of fairness and opportunity in this by-election."
National will decide its candidate for the by-election by the end of the week. ACT has also decided to run a candidate, while New Zealand First won't. The Opportunities Party last week announced Naomi Pocock will contest the by-election to be held on December 10. Dr Sharma will also run.
The TEU is currently holding protests across the country, calling for salaries to be increased by 8 percent in line with inflation.
Little was at the University of Waikato on Wednesday to announce the start of enhanced mental health and addiction services for tertiary students at the campus.
"The University of Waikato will now be able to see more students, thanks to new roles including a social worker, mental health nurse, alcohol and other drug counsellor and a violence prevention health promoter, as well as upskill staff to identify those who may need support earlier to prevent small issues becoming bigger ones," Little said.
