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Elizabeth Mundt will turn her back on the Selwyn District Council if her bid for Parliament is successful.
The Ellesmere Ward councillor has been selected as the New Zealand First candidate for the Selwyn electorate in November’s General Election.
If she becomes the electorate MP or a list MP, Mundt said New Zealand First expects her to resign from the council, which will trigger a by-election.
Selwyn Times asked if she was concerned about the potential cost of a by-election, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars and be borne by ratepayers.
“I will cross that bridge when I get to it,” she said.
However, Selwyn deputy mayor Brendan Shefford said triggering a by-election would be a “disrespect” to ratepayers.
"When you go into council for a three-year term, you know what you’re signing up for,” he said.
Responded Mundt: “I am running because I believe I will bring greater value to my constituents if elected.”
Selwyn Mayor Lydia Gliddon declined to comment on the issue, saying it was a question best answered by Mundt.
An MP is paid $181,200, while Mundt’s annual salary as councillor is $75,469.
Mundt submitted her CV to New Zealand First earlier this year, but when asked specifically when she did so she could not recall.
Mundt was re-elected to the council in the local body elections in October.
She notified Gliddon shortly before noon on Saturday that she had been selected as the New Zealand First candidate.
Mundt said she did not tell Gliddon earlier because New Zealand First had not confirmed her candidacy.
Asked why she had not told Gliddon she was being considered for selection, Mundt said she had sought “expert opinions”.
“It was recommended I wait until I had confirmation.”
She would not elaborate on who the experts were.
New Zealand First did not respond to questions about why Mundt was chosen or how many people applied to be the Selwyn candidate.
Gliddon said elected members were expected to keep their council role clearly separate from any election campaigning.
“We are seeking advice on the relevant protocols and legal settings before commenting further on possible implications,” she said.
“Our priority is to protect public confidence, maintain political neutrality, and give the community accurate information once the legal position has been confirmed.”
Mundt is easing back into council work after suffering a serious concussion on June 1 after falling from her horse at her Greenpark property.
“The concussion is terrible timing for sure, but I am very dedicated to my role as a councillor, and (General Election) campaigning is after hours,” she said.
She expects to resume her full council duties early next month and said she is taking on more work each week.
Her occupational therapist cleared her to travel to Auckland to attend New Zealand First’s conference over the weekend.
Shefford said he was surprised Mundt would have enough time to fulfil both roles given councillors’ current workload.
Mundt said campaigning will not affect her role as a councillor.
“There are other councillors that hold secondary jobs so it’s nothing new to the council for us to be juggling two roles at once.”
Springs Ward district councillor Densie Carrick said she did not want to see party politics around the council table.
Mundt said there was no overlap between the policies she was campaigning on and her council responsibilities, and that she would remain politically neutral.
“Any conflicts of interest will be identified with the council legal team.”
She said she was standing to better represent Selwyn on issues outside the council’s control, including protecting productive farmland from housing development and improving rural health funding.
“New Zealand First is the only common sense nationalist party that’s got a huge focus on ensuring we as a nation are self-sufficient and looking ahead at a long-term future that is prosperous for all New Zealanders.”
Last month, Gliddon wrote to RMA Minister Chris Bishop expressing concern about the amount of housing that could be fast-tracked under proposed planning changes.
Mundt said she wanted councils to regain control of urban boundaries and have more power to protect farmland and food security. She also supported more affordable housing and homes for people looking to downsize.
She said projects should only be fast-tracked if they were “totally necessary”.
Mundt is one of seven candidates seeking to unseat National’s Nicola Grigg who is standing for a third term as Selwyn MP.
Also standing are Environment Canterbury councillor Nick Moody for Labour, Act candidate Iain Murray, Green candidate Alma De Anda, The Opportunities Party candidate Adrian Mee, Alliance candidate Jesse Luke and independent Zoran Rakovic.
Moody has previously said that, if elected, he would resign from his ECan seat, which could also trigger a by-election.
Mundt criticised Grigg for what she described as a lack of support for New Zealand First’s Definitions of Woman and Man Amendment Bill.
“Grigg is the minister for women, but had lukewarm support for the definition of a woman bill, which is out of step with this electorate, and fails to appreciate the importance of protecting women from men in prisons, and women’s sports,” Mundt said.
Grigg rejected the criticism, saying both she and the National Party support the bill and Mundt’s suggestion otherwise was “mischievous”.
“As the Attorney General has pointed out, there are indeed problems with the bill, and there could be unintended consequences for women,” Grigg said.
She expected the select committee process to address those issues.
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