Parker contesting Epsom seat

Labour Party list MP David Parker has been confirmed as its Epsom candidate, a move sure to lift his public profile as he continues to work to become Labour leader.

The Labour Party yesterday confirmed one of the worst kept political secrets when Mr Parker was named as the party's Epsom candidate.

Bloggers David Farrar and Cameron Slater predicted nearly two weeks ago Mr Parker would stand in Epsom, saying his partner was from Auckland and that it was a likely move for the former Otago MP and Dunedin resident.

Mr Parker (51) held Otago for one term before losing to National's Jacqui Dean in 2005.

The number of Dunedin resident MPs now officially goes down to five: Labour's Pete Hodgson and Clare Curran, National list MP Michael Woodhouse, Green co-leader and list MP Metiria Turei, and Act New Zealand list MP Hilary Calvert.

A move to Auckland will strengthen Mr Parker's bid to lead the Labour Party after the predicted election defeat under current leader Phil Goff.

Mr Parker and Shane Jones had been linked in a leadership bid before Mr Jones was found to have charged pornography to his taxpayer-funded credit card in 2010. Mr Jones had been tipped as a future leader, with Mr Parker as his deputy. Following a period of contrition for Mr Jones, it was rumoured the same team remained but with Mr Parker as the prospective leader and Mr Jones as his deputy.

Mr Parker now appears to be working on his own in public but with the support of others privately in his bid to reach the top.

University of Otago political lecturer Bryce Edwards said the Epsom candidacy was purely about the "David Parker brand" and political marketing.

"It is the highest profile electorate contest in the general election and he wants to be in the centre of it. It will generate a lot of media coverage."

Outside the so-called "beltway", Mr Parker was not well known and he needed to improve his profile.

Regardless of the Epsom result, standing in the electorate would be good for his career, Dr Edwards said.

Mr Parker said in an interview he decided to stand in Epsom because Labour had a distinctly different view to the economic view being put forward by National and Act and he wanted to get that message out.

"In a democracy, voters deserve to be shown respect by giving them a choice of who they want to vote for. National and Act are taking the people of Epsom for granted and treating them like sheep to try and construct an outcome that brings MMP into disrepute - to bring Act into Parliament with disproportionate influence, on the coat tails of Epsom," he said.

National Party Epsom candidate Paul Goldsmith has said he will seek only the party vote to allow Act candidate John Banks to win the seat.

Former Act leader Rodney Hide is the Epsom MP.

- dene.mackenzie@odt.co.nz