Labour's General Secretary Tim Barnett has set out the timetable for its primary-style election process, which gives MPs until October 14 to put their names up. So far only Grant Robertson and David Cunliffe have announced they will contest it but others are also weighing it up.
A series of 14 "hustings meetings" will be held at which contenders will state their case to party members and union delegates around the country from October 22 to November 11. One of the only regions to miss out on a meeting is the birthplace of Labour -- on the West Coast.
It is the second time the party will use its new leadership election rules, which were put in place while David Shearer was leader following the party's 2012 annual conference. Based on US primaries and similar models in countries such as Australia, the caucus and members' vote count for 40 per cent each of the final result, while Labour's six affiliated unions count for 20 per cent.
The process was triggered by the resignation of David Cunliffe as leader following Labour's 24.7 per cent election night result. He is recontesting the leadership.
Despite pleas from acting leader David Parker for a "seemly"contest, the lead-up to the announcement has been marked by fractious exchanges, accusations from each side of smears by the other, and incidents such as Mr Cunliffe's wife Karen Price setting up an anonymous Twitter account to sledge her husband's rivals and media who were critical of him.
Mr Barnett said a Code of Conduct for the contestants would be finalised once all nominations were in and the party leadership would also set out clear expectations for members supporting each side. He defended the election process.
"Our leadership election process is a wonderful expression of party democracy, involving all Party members, all seven affiliates and all 32 Labour Members of Parliament. It is a rigorous test of leadership qualities. Its outcome will be crucial to our Party's single-minded determination to learn from our election result and regroup for victory in 2017."
The timing means the leadership contest will be held before a proposed review of Labour's election campaign and wider issues reports back -- but there is expected to be an interim report on the core issues of the last election before members cast their votes.
