Te Pāti Māori won't stand candidate at Tauranga by-election due to 'safety issue'
Te Pāti Māori won't stand a candidate at the Tauranga by-election "on the basis of a safety issue", claiming the party's co-leaders have received threats and hate speech from residents there.
The by-election, forced by the resignation of National MP Simon Bridges (who is Māori), will take place on June 18, with a number of candidates already confirmed. That includes National's Sam Uffindell, Labour's Jan Tinetti and ACT's Cameron Luxton.
But the Māori Party won't be standing a candidate, its president Che Wilson announced on Friday morning, "on the basis of a safety issue".
Wilson mentioned a Department of Internal Affairs report published in April which showed "hate speech from white supremacists on social media is the largest form of hate speech in this country".
Link to the article: 'Unsafe environment': Te Pāti Māori won't stand candidate at Tauranga by-election due to 'safety issue' (msn.com)
