Coffey retires

Stuff reports:

Labour list MP Tāmati Coffey has announced he won’t stand for re-election.

Coffey first entered Parliament in 2017, winning the seat of Waiariki, which he lost in 2020.

He said he was retiring to spend more time with his newborn baby.

“After the birth of our second child, I’ve reprioritised where I want to put my energy and that’s into our two kids, Tūtānekai and Taitimu,” Coffey said in a statement.

This is no surprise. I’m sure family is part of the decision, but the reality is Coffey was the only Labour MP to lose their seat in 2020, and is so unpopular he failed to even get re-elected (came 9th) to a local trust board in Rotorua. And Labour are looking to have fewer List MPs, so it was very unlikely that Coffey would be re-elected even if he stood.