Jami-Lee Ross has said he will not stand in the Botany election, saying he is confident of Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika winning the Te Tai Tokerau electorate (off Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis) and also confident of making the 5% threshold.
Davis (12,673 votes) beat Hone Harawira (7,866 votes) in Te Tai Tokerau in the 2017 election. While Te Kahika has built a significant following with thousands attending a protest he fronted in the weekend that is a long way from a majority in one electorate.
The composite party would probably need to get 140,000+ votes to make the 5% threshold, which is a very high hurdle for any small party let alone one with no history.
Times Online: Jami-Lee Ross not contesting Botany seat
Independent MP Jami-Lee Ross is not contesting the Botany seat in the General Election in October.
The former National front bencher who fell out spectacularly with his party and the former National Party leader Simon Bridges and is also facing Serious Fraud Office charges, told the Times he will go on Advance NZ’s party list. He is also confident Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika will win the Maori seat which would ensure they get into parliament.
Advance NZ has merged with several smaller parties which Ross likened to the successful approach adopted by Jim Anderton.
“We’re modelling it off the Alliance Party of the 1990s …several smaller parties came together as one bigger party so that they had more of an opportunity to campaign and reach parliament and they did ultimately reach parliament so that’s the model that we’re working on,” Ross said.
“It became pretty apparent that I had to make a decision – do I run a nationwide campaign? I’m effectively doing that, I’m running a campaign, I’m assisting in training and selecting and recruiting candidates.
“I’m working very closely with Billy Te Kahika (leader of the NZ Public Party, Advance NZ co-leader with Ross and Te Tai Tokerau candidate) who is a political novice but is making big inroads into things and I wouldn’t be able to do that and also give the required time necessary to run for election properly here in Botany.”
Ross said feedback he was getting suggested it would be three-way race for the Botany seat “because National’s considerably lower, Labour’s considerably higher, I’ve got a profile in Botany too so it wasn’t a foregone conclusion for anyone”.
I think if Ross actually thought he had a chance of winning Botany he wouldn’t pull out. This looks like him conceding he has no show.
“I had to make a call as to whether I could dedicate the time required to run for election in Botany properly. My strength of campaigning is also door-knocking face-to-face but you can’t do that during Covid so that’s been an interruption.”
He has been successful as a National candidate, but that was in a safe national electorate. His weakness now of face to face campaigning this election is that he has disgraced himself politically and personally.
“But in terms of contribution towards the country and the political party, I came to the view that my skills in terms of politics and campaigning were best suited to getting a new vehicle into parliament and working hard to ensure that a new political party (could get) a foothold and building off the profile and building off the following that the NZ Public Party and Advance NZ are starting to see now.”
Ross was getting nowhere with his own party so is tagging on to the cult-like popularity of Te Kahika.
Ross’ organising experience he gained when with National will help, but he is unlikely to attract many votes himself. He is really trying to enable Te Kahika.
“I know that many in the media, certainly down in parliament, write us off but on the ground, I’ve never seen a political party grow as fast as it has,” he said.
The party/parties have grown out of nothing very quickly, but that’s a long way from winning a seat or making the threshold.
“I’ve never seen the reach on social media like we’ve got in the last month. We reached 2 million people. In the last week we reached 1m people. Of course that’s not going to turn into votes entirely but that suggests to you the public are opening their eyes up to something new and something different.”
I don’t know where he gets those numbers from, but on their own they don’t mean much. I’ve been ‘reached’ on social media by several parties (not Advance NZ) but won’t be voting for more than one of them, and maybe none of them.
Ross also reckons Te Kahika could roll Kelvin Davis, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, out of the Te Tai Tokerau seat in October.
“He’s (Te Kahika) has a very good shot at winning that seat, taking it off Kelvin Davis who hasn’t really delivered anything for that area.”
It would be unprecedented in modern new politics if Te Kahika won an electorate. It’s possible, bu I think highly improbable.
It’s normal for politicians to talk up their chances to try to generate support. Many don’t come close to matching their claims.
Advance NZ – and its alliance comprising NZ Public Party, the Direct Democracy Party, the NZ People’s Party and a party called Reset New Zealand – will deliver an offering Kiwis want, said Ross.
“This movement and this party is growing so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised if we got to 5 per cent in any case. There’s a gap in the market where New Zealanders are looking for an alternative strategy to Covid-19.
Most people support what the Government has done on Covid. Some don’t, but they won’t all support a party promoting a range of conspiracy theories.
“The virus isn’t killing anywhere near as many people as we were told it would right at the start. That’s the case around the world.
That’s a nonsense claim. Models suggested possible death levels if nothing was done to restrict Covid, but I don’t know of any country did nothing. And all models I have seen show ranges of possibilities.
If New Zealand hadn’t locked down we would certainly have had far more deaths, as would have happened in many other countries.
As a country we need to learn to live with the virus. No other political party is offering a more risk-based balanced approach and so I think there’s New Zealanders opening their eyes up to that idea and that strategy so that’s where the party offers a point of difference.”
It’s ridiculous claiming Te Kahika represents “a more risk-based balanced approach”.
“We’re going to go to the election with 60 candidates, 7000 members which I’d argue is going to be bigger than other parties except maybe Labour and National.
“We’ve got tens of thousands of people who we’re reaching on social media who are volunteering as well and Billy Te Kahika is a unique phenomenon in politics and inspiring so many people. Sure, his opponents are writing him off calling him all sorts of names but what you’re seeing is someone who’s tapping into dissatisfaction with a large range of voters.”
If correct those are impressive numbers for a new party, but they are a long way from election success.
“Organisations like the World Health Organization are now telling us we need to learn to live with the virus. It’s time to be heard on a new strategy.”
It is blatant bullshit to imply that the Advance NZ approach to dealing with Covid aligns with WHO advice.
WHO have advice that is applicable to Te Kahika and Advance NZ – Mythbusters, which includes 5G Mobile networks.
Even if Advance NZ perform an electoral miracle and make it into Parliament I’m fairly sure Labour will have nothing to do with their nuttery in Government.
UPDATE: David Farrar comments on the Ross claim that Botany was a a three way race:
In no way was it a three way race. In a poll done by Curia in August 2020, Jami-Lee Ross was at 1.8%. And no that is not a typo – 1.8% not 18%.
Your NZ 
John J Harrison
/ 15th September 2020Good riddance to a ton of bad, stinking rubbish.
Billy and his band of crazies will be lucky to top 1%.
Ross, facing serious fraud allegations by the SFO may well spend some months in Her Majesty’s Prison system.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020I was at a meeting where a man who’d been ‘inside’ was obviously about to say that he’d been ‘a guest of her Majesty’ but changed it to ‘a tenant of the Crown.’ I don’t know if this witticism was his own, it may well have been. So perhaps JLR will be a tenant of the Crown,
Duker
/ 15th September 2020One of those ACT ‘founders’ was it ?
Jack
/ 15th September 2020Amusing how media regularly say that Ross “fell out spectacularly” with National. In reality it was business as usual in politics. National, the cult, turned it into ‘spectacular’ – a common trick of the cults – isolating one ordinary person from the crowd.
In reality it’s the crowd which acts with nuttery in NZ politics. Name calling and derision makes it unnecessarily stressful for normal folk practising healthy scepticism
Jack
/ 15th September 2020I rate Advance with a chance. I think it’s brave and excellent that they are pushing ‘conspiracy’ theories, especially if they’re challenging the WHO.
God loves a tryer. There are worse cults in NZ, namely the Labour and National parties. That’s why I don’t like MMP. If the outlier brave individuals dispersed themselves throughout the two main parties (and carried their crosses) we could have safe and kind politics. Normality!
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020Are there fairies at the bottom of your garden ?
lurcher1948
/ 15th September 2020It amuses me that people from the right forget that Mr Ross was the face of National in Botany, he was the bag man for Nattional collecting the big secret donations and if hes a despicable MP hes the product of the National Party and their environment
John J Harrison
/ 15th September 2020Lurcher, utter crap.
If that was the case why was National not part of the SFO investigation?
As you know , Ross made a complaint to the SFO regarding the National Party but then became the SFO target and National left out of the investigation.
With your extreme lefty ranting and irrational claims I would be extremely concerned at the SFO investigation of your Labour Party and allegations of shonky financial funding.
Jack
/ 15th September 2020Can see ranting from somewhere, but again I sin.
That National is a nasty cult indeed and I can’t see Act being any different
Blazer
/ 15th September 2020Technicalities and you know it.
National are the experts at dirty tricks.
Is Ross a success going by your criteria?….long term National M.P,Chief Whip ,front bench minister.
Remember he started with…’nothing’!
Duker
/ 15th September 2020“why was National not part of the SFO investigation?”
It was, the SFO has been trawling through their donation database.
It wasnt just a one off while Bridges was leader , there was a second $100k donation made while English was leader.
What party had leaders called English and Bridges…..can you think of the name ?
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020I don’t forget that, Lurch. I just don’t know anything about how he was selected and what if anything changed to make him into what he turned out to be. Maybe someone else is to blame or maybe it is just him.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020Lurch must have forgotten Taito Philip Field…was he a product of the Labour Party and their environment ?
Blazer
/ 15th September 2020Quelle horreur !
A cat that transforms into a….squirrel!
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020Transforms what into a squirrel ?
Merde alors ! A blazer that is now a damp squib !
duperez
/ 15th September 2020The smallest majority Ross gained in three elections was 10,700. In 2017 it was 12,800.
His percentages were higher than the National Party vote in Botany. He was one of the ‘up-and-comers’ in his party.
The reality check for him is heading for a fast end, the inevitable crash and burn. Hooking up with crazies was a desperate clutching towards a straw. 12,800 majority hooked up with Te Kahika?
It was to be all fireworks and spectacular but it’s all a bit like an old Tom Thumb firecracker from yonks ago. It’s been sitting in the damp, Jamie lights it up and … fizzer.
The fantasy goes on and the palaver accompanying it becomes more pathetic.
Did this all start over leaks of Simon Bridges’ travel budget?
Pete George
/ 15th September 2020Shane Te Pou – why TVNZ should withdraw its debate invitation to the Advance Party (paywalled)
Corky
/ 15th September 2020I consider te Pou a P***K. I believe he would be an easy beat in a debate Here’s my proof, on top of your proof.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/08/former-politician-shane-te-pou-confronts-lauren-southern-stefan-molyneux-in-heated-exchange.html
Duker
/ 15th September 2020Serious small parties should refuse to attend the TVNZ minor parties debate if Advance is allowed to share the space with them
That would be Greens, NZF etc
Pete George
/ 15th September 2020duperez
/ 15th September 2020Damien De Ment doesn’t like mass migration? He can start the unwinding of it. There is an airport at Mangere.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020Surely his name is not De Ment !!!
Duker
/ 15th September 2020Theres dozens of them … could be cousins of the D’eaths
His linkedin profile has been deleted but google suggests it was something about sales manager at various companies.
Corky
/ 15th September 2020Far Right speakers..who would have guessed? Not Marc Daalder.
Pete George
/ 15th September 2020David Farrar comments on the Ross claim that Botany was a a three way race:
Blazer
/ 15th September 2020‘The entire planet as we know it is run by evil central banks who basically buy off everyone – the media, politicians, academia. You name it, the banks rule everything.”
Alot of evidence to support this premise.
Doco-‘Inside Job’…
‘ here, through a mixture of talking heads, well-conceived charts, and Matt Damon’s narration, he makes what could have been complex and dry subject matter into something both understandable and compelling, placing the blame for the downturn on the finance industry’s greed, long reach, and unchecked influence over government and education.’
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020JLR will be no loss to politics judging by his published behaviour.
Billy Te seems to fit the Destiny/Tamaki mould preaching hope and mysticism to the lost tribes. Could possibly be a force for good pointed in the right direction or a disaster if left to blunder in the dark. JLR certainly isn’t the One to light a candle there.
Jack
/ 15th September 2020Not so. Mr Ross is future PM material. Would be helpful if he milked cows or something for a while though.
Fellow ‘idiots’ – never trust a Righty who complains about how others preach hope and who doesn’t offer a feasible alternative. Also avoid such person’s worries regarding mysticism.
Btw, God does not work in mysterious ways now. That’s another nonsense cults bombard sane people with
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020Mysticism is for people who like to pretend they know something when they don’t.
Blazer
/ 15th September 2020‘Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance’. Plato
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020Plato stating the blindingly obvious?
Blazer
/ 15th September 2020Oh the irony!
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020Oh the banality.
Sunny
/ 15th September 2020“It is blatant bullshit to imply that the Advance NZ approach to dealing with Covid aligns with WHO advice.”
Actually Billy T K. is correct in this instance. From the BBC, “The coronavirus is not going to go away so we must learn to live with it, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy for Covid-19, David Nabarro has said.
He told Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur that it was not known how long it would take to develop a treatment or a vaccine.
“We have all got to learn to live with this virus, to do our business with this virus in our presence, to have social relations with this virus in our presence and not to be continuously having to be in lockdown because of the widespread infections that can occur,” Mr Nabarro added.”
Pete George
/ 15th September 2020Yes, but learning to live with as recommended by WHO is a lot different to learning to live with it as promoted by Billy TK and Jami-Lee Ross.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th September 2020That is what David Seymour has been saying; that we ‘live with it’ in the sense of living safely with it, not just carrying on as if it didn’t exist. Taking precautions, in other words and minimising the risk as much as we can without existing in a state of siege.
Duker
/ 15th September 2020There is no ‘live with’ and ‘be safe’ …its a contagious disease and needs a whole of population approach.
Melbourne tried to live with it for a few weeks with just restrictions in hot spots and guess what , 20% of those who tested positive and were supposed to ‘isolate at home’ werent there when the police later checked. Some infected people continue to go to work even after testing positive.
That would be the same here
Seymour is saying officially that he supports the lockdowns AND beating the virus. That waffle you get is just to make you think your half pie nonsense is being considered.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th September 2020Life is not safe. A whole of population approach is enslavement, not life.
Duker
/ 15th September 2020So what were you bleating on the other day about a 2 week wait for some young woman ( after seeing a private psychologist) for a DHB funded assessment. Thats fast.
No previous history, not male indicates not a priority when suicide ideation happens
Duker
/ 15th September 2020This is probably why JLR and his Advance NZ party ( registered ) has tied with Billy TK and Staces NZ Public Party
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300106545/255000-in-political-donations-to-nzpp-a-party-that-never-registered
I was thinking out loud the other day over who might be putting in serious money into this outfit ( and Im sure its not all coming from koha in spite of it being spun this way)