The mother of marriage equality is locked in an internal Labour Party battle which could see her lose her Manurewa seat.
Louisa Wall, mother of marriage equality and one of Labour’s most visible LGBT Members of Parliament is facing a selection challenge.
Manurewa is considered a safe Labour Party seat, with the electorate voting Labour at every election since 1978.
Louisa Wall currently has an 8000 vote majority in Manurewa and has held the seat for Labour since 2011.
However, Louisa Wall faces two challenges for the nomination from two Auckland-based lawyers, Arena Williams and Ian Dunwoodie.
Of the two, Dunwoodie is understood to present the biggest challenge insiders tell express.
Dunwoodie is a long time electorate organiser and previously worked for Wall’s Manurewa MP predecessor George Hawkins, as a parliamentary advisor.
Newsroom which first broke the news of the contested selection, reports that the challenge has arisen as a result of dissatisfaction from long-serving branch volunteers.
While some commentators have noted Dunwoodie’s strong campaigning and links to the Pasifika community in the electorate, Labour’s deputy leader Kelvin Davis is predicting Wall will survive.
“She’s a valuable member of caucus, of the Māori caucus, she’s certainly staunch in all the issues she takes up, but we just have to wait to see how it all pans out,” Davis told Waatea news.
Davis’ comments indicate that while Wall may be on the outer with some within her electorate, she retains the support of the Party leadership.
