Andrew Little New Labour Party Leader

In a press conference held on Tuesday in the Labour Party Caucus room at Parliament, it was announced Andrew Little had been voted in as Leader of the Labour party.

The first two rounds of counting eliminated Nania Mahuta and David Parker, leaving Grant Robertson against Little. Caucus and party member votes favoured Grant Roberston, but a strong vote from union affiliates decided the vote for Little.

The decision was a close one, said Little, who won in the third round of voting with a total of 50.52%, compared to Grant Robertson’s 49.48%.

Little said that the party organisation would be under review but would like to see Roberston, Parker and Mahuta among the senior leadership.

In preparation for the 2017 election, Little said he did not want to run a campaign similar to Prime Minister John Key who he described as running one of “nastiest smear campaigns we’ve seen in New Zealand politics.”

He identified the capital gains tax and the retirement age as two policies that would be under review for the 2017 election.

Little is still yet to identify possible coalition partners and wants to talk to all caucus colleagues about what they wish to offer.

Grant Robertson also said that he would not be putting his name forward to lead the Labour Party in the future, this being his third failed attempt.

ENDS

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