Holt to stand for the Greens

The Herald reports:

TV presenter and sportswoman Hayley Holt will stand for the Green Party at next year’s general election.

In a major coup for the Greens, the popular broadcaster, former competitive snowboarder and environmental activist has formally signed up as a candidate and will be added to the party’s list.

And while the Crowd Goes Wild and Back Benches star has not yet been selected for an electorate, she is considering a bid for the Helensville seat held by Prime Minister John Key.

Holt told the Herald she had always voted Green and became a member earlier this year because of her interest in environmental issues, in particular climate change. The Greens’ policies on combating inequality and climate change meant the party was “a natural fit” for her, she said.

Prime Minister John Key is “obviously a very good politician”, she said, but she felt National was not working hard enough for the environment or for New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. She decided to run for Parliament because she “wanted to make a difference herself rather than leave it to other people”.

This is not a big surprise as Hayley has been promoting membership of the Greens this year. Good on her for deciding to stand for Parliament because she wants to make a difference.