Were the locals outvoted?

Big News blogs:

I have spoken to someone who was at the meeting yesterday. Labour’s Local Electorate Committee is controlled by Winnie Laban. She wanted Fa’afoi, so her committee voted for Fa’afoi, even though some may have not supported him. Goff’s office wanted Fa’afoi, and his three votes got him. The other vote was decided by the community. That vote was made up of 52 locals and 60 unionists. The locals wanted Pagani. The unionists wanted Fa’afoi. None of the unionists were locals, but because there were more of them, they had sway. [DPF: The unionists are in fact local – they are local affiliate members]

This meant that the community vote was stacked with unionists to make sure Fa’afoi got the nod, meaning that the Local Electorate Committee actually voted against the wishes of the local voters, and stacked the floor so that the community vote also went against the wishes of the community.

And a commenter at Kiwiblog states:

The local members vote was 34 Pagani, 16 Faafoi and 2 others. The 60 union votes went all to Faafoi. Local members got out voted by union members who have never worked for Labour in Mana.

And Phil Quinn has some advice:

It may have been another despicable parachute-job, but he won under the rules as they stand. That makes him the Labour candidate today, and he has my support.

But Kris Faafoi will lose the Mana by-election if he thinks it will come as easily, or with as many short-cuts, as his dubious path to the nomination.

He must, first and foremost, ask whomever (a) wrote his letter to members, (b) employed his replacement in the leader’s office before he was nominated, (c) put him on Radio Australia, (d) thought it was smart to stack the hall yesterday with advisors and press secretaries on overtime and (e) was responsible for his poor performance at the Q+A, to remove themselves from any position of influence in the campaign.

I’m quite glad to be in a party where unions do not control selections.