Wigram MP Megan Woods has confirmed she will not recontest the Wigram seat in next year’s general election, but will stand as a Labour Party list MP.
Speaking to Chris Lynch Media, Woods said she had given the decision a lot of thought and wanted to be upfront with her constituents.
“I’ve been the MP for 15 years at the next election for Wigram. I was selected to be Labour’s candidate in September 2010 before the February earthquake. A lot has happened in that time,” she said.
Woods said she had consistently asked herself whether she would commit to the life of each new electorate boundary. “In 2013 and in 2019 I could say, hell yes, I’m there for the long haul. I’ll stick out the life of that boundary. I can’t say that this time, Chris.”
“I can’t guarantee, with my hand on my heart to people that I’d be asking for their vote, that I’ll still be there in 2032.”
If she remained in the seat for another term, Woods said it would mean 21 years as an electorate MP. “That’s an awfully long time in politics these days.”
“I want to go out when I’ve still got plenty more in the tank. I don’t want to wait till it runs out.”
Woods said she would support a new Labour candidate in Wigram, just as her political mentor Jim Anderton had supported her in 2011.
She said she would be nominating for Labour’s list and wanted to be part of the government Chris Hipkins hopes to form in 2026. “When I’m doing that as a list MP, I’m making a commitment for three years, not six years.”
Woods paid tribute to Anderton, who she described as a mentor and friend. “Jim mentored me for a very long period of time. I firmly believe that good MPs are not necessarily just born. There is a craft that has to be learned, and Jim took the time to pass on those skills to me.”
Looking back on her time as Wigram MP, Woods said she was proud of the small wins, including helping individuals through her electorate office. She recalled one man who was homeless when she first met him, but whose life was transformed with help from her office.
“By the time he died, he had an amazing life, and had been honoured by the community with a memorial in a local park. Just that simple act of getting someone into a home really turned his life around.”
She said the most profound moment of her career was supporting the community after the 15 March mosque attacks.
“The majority of the families who were affected lived in the Wigram electorate. Our normal mosque is in the Wigram electorate. I have made some amazing friends, which will not end with me ceasing to be the MP.”
Woods said she was frustrated the current government had scrapped 212 new public houses in Wigram, which Labour had planned to build.
Asked about the current political landscape, Woods said she believed the coalition would be a one term government.
“People feel let down. A lot of people voted for National believing Christopher Luxon when he told them they were going to get as much as 250 dollars a fortnight in their pockets. For most people, it has been 3, 7, 10, 20 dollars if they are lucky, followed by rising costs of living.”
“I think it is about whether New Zealanders trust him, whether they relate to him, and whether they truly believe Christopher Luxon understands what they are going through.”
