Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni resigns over gang campaigning
Labour Party candidate Kerrin Leoni has resigned following the emergence of footage showing her campaigning alongside members of the Mongrel Mob gang. Party leader Chris Hipkins stated that her actions were inconsistent with party standards.
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Illustrates the political risks and ethical standards regarding associations between political candidates and criminal organizations.
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Labour's Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Kerrin Leoni has resigned after a video emerged of her campaigning alongside Mongrel Mob members .
The footage showed Leoni, wearing a Labour Party jacket, talking to gang members about enrolling to vote and changing the government.
A photo from the same event - published by Newsroom - showed the former Auckland councillor posing with a group of people including some in Mongrel Mob regalia pulling hand gestures associated with the gang.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the footage was "inconsistent" with the standards he expected from his candidates.
"I have made it very clear that campaigning alongside gangs is unacceptable," he said in a statement released on Friday.
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