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Greg O'Connor not standing after Labour list process that ‘makes choosing Pope look transparent’

Monday, 8 June 2026

O’Connor, whose current seat is being dismembered ahead of the next election, had expressed an interest in standing on the list in recent months, with an eye on being speaker.
O’Connor, whose current seat is being dismembered ahead of the next election, had expressed an interest in standing on the list in recent months, with an eye on being speaker.

Labour MP for Ohariu Greg O’Connor will not stand at the election following a Labour list-making process which “makes the choosing of the Pope look transparent”.

O’Connor, whose current seat is being dismembered ahead of the next election, had expressed an interest in standing on the list in recent months, with an eye on being speaker.

But his name was not featured on the list for the November 7 election sent to media by Labour on Sunday night under embargo.

O’Connor said the decision was his and declined to say whether he made it following a poor list placing, but did say he had made the decision “over the weekend”.

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“The decision's mine. What goes on between myself and the party - I'm not going to be commenting on that,” O’Connor told The Post.

O’Connor said he had felt since the news of Ōhariu disappearing that it might be difficult to return under the Labour banner, suggesting that understanding how he might find a good list spot was difficult.

“The Labour Party list process makes the choosing of a Pope look transparent. I've always said - there's so many moving parts to it, and it's taken, you know, like we go through different process, and in the end, I decided that I wouldn't put my name forward.”

“Once Ōhariu disappeared there was really no options left for me, certainly within Wellington and bearing in mind that I also hadn’t been on the list the last couple of times, so it was quite sort of discombobulating to say the least. So now I’ve made the decision I’m pretty happy with it.”

O’Connor attempted to win the Labour candidacy for the new seat of Wellington North but lost out to Ayesha Verrall.

Once he lost this selection O’Connor did not immediately decide to seek a list placing, but did tell media earlier this year he would be doing so.

He said he had no plans following the election at this point but was very proud to have won Ōhariu three times.

“I just thank my electorate for giving me three three terms to represent them. I'll be forever grateful for that.”