January 12, 2017 7:44am by David Farrar

Brewer not standing

The man hotly tipped to seek selection to replace former Prime Minister John Key in the Helensville seat has ruled himself out.

Rodney Local Board member Cameron Brewer says it’s not the right time for him.

“After much consideration and after consulting a lot of people, I have decided I won’t be standing for National Party selection for the seat of Helensville,” Brewer says.

Brewer moved to Riverhead in 2015 from central Auckland where he had been a councillor for the Orakei Ward.

He says many people believed that running for the seat was the intention behind his move.

“In reality, the real reason we moved out here was the lifestyle we could give the kids and we fell in love with property we bought.”

However, Brewer says if former Prime Minister Key had continued on as Helensville MP for another few years, he may have considered it.

He says at this stage in his life with three children and two of them aged under two, it is not the right time.

Standing with kids so young would be damn hard. So a good choice.

Brewer would have been a strong contender to win the nomination if he sought it. This may open up the field and encourage more to stand.