 | Elections: No more Dread in the House |
 
NORML are absolutely gutted that former NORML activist Nandor Tanczos, narrowly failed to make it back into Parliament after the final election results were announced today.
The Greens did increase their percentage vote after specials were counted, but agonisingly fell about 1300 votes short of seeing Nandor elected as their 7th MP.
More soon. :-(
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 1/10/05 Greens disappointed to lose Nandor from Parliament
1/10/05 Greens' blog: Good and bad
2/10/05 Greens' blog: Nandor
Greens stung by surprising special vote result
01 October 2005
By MAGGIE TAIT, NZPA
Parties on both the left and right were licking their wounds today after special vote results were released.
The Green Party expected the results would return Nandor Tanczos, the Progressives hoped against hope for Matt Robson to slip through and the National Party lost a seat - costing Katrina Shanks her new job.
Green Party Leader Rod Donald told NZPA the party missed out on Mr Tanczos company by just 1246 votes.
Previously the Greens did very well out of special votes - they gained an extra seat in 1999, winning 8.07 percent of the specials, and in 2002 when they won 11.7 percent.
This election the Greens won 5.07 percent of the vote.
"It was extremely close - only 0.5 percent (short)."
Mr Donald said it was disappointed the specials reflected election night results. "There was very definitely a two-party squeeze and that was disappointing because Parliament will be less representative of the community than it has been."
Mr Donald spoke to Mr Tanczos this morning and told him he was sorry he wasn't back.
"Nandor has been one of the most colourful representatives in Parliament but he's also been a very diligent worker. It's a big shame he won't be able to continue at least in this term, the positive contribution he's made over the past six years."
He cited work on clean slate, supreme court legislation and work on drug law reform.
"He's helped to encourage a lot of young people to not only vote but get involved in politics."
Mr Tanczos was demoted to seventh on the list before this election.
"We just have to accept the democratic process both within the party and with the public," Mr Donald said.
The Greens would talk with Labour on Monday about forming a government.
"The silver lining from the result is that it does confirm that Helen Clark will be the next Prime Minister and that she will be able to put together a strong stable government."
In terms of what role the Greens would play "all options are still one the table".
The Progressives Matt Robson had hoped he may return on the specials.
"I am disappointed we haven't got another representative in Parliament for the Progressives but I expected this might be the result because it was quite a big barrier to overcome."
Mr Robson said the party needed to hold its election night result and get an additional 400 plus votes for him to return.
"I knew statistically it would be a hard mountain to climb."
He was pleased a centre-left-wing government would be able to be formed.
"I'm pleased that the Progressives can contribute to the numbers that allow us to continue not have a government that would head back to privatisation and other such right-wing practices."
Mr Robson did not rule out standing again in future and was likely to return to the law in the interim.
Ms Shanks and Mr Tanczos were not immediately available for comment.
Rasta la vista baby: Tanczos bites the bullet
02 October 2005
Sunday Star Times, By GREG MEYLAN
The Greens have fallen short of getting another MP into parliament and the house has lost its only Rastafarian member.
Nandor Tanczos missed out on returning to parliament as the Greens' seventh list MP by 1246 votes after the special votes were counted yesterday.
Tanczos said he had been optimistic of making it back and felt mixed emotions at missing out.
"I did want to do another term, I have a lot of unfinished business but at the same time I can spend more time with my family and I have other things I want to do. I will still be involved in politics, of which parliament is only one form, and not necessarily the best."
Greens co-leader Rod Donald said the failure of Tanczos to win a seat was a big loss to the party.
"And not just because one more vote would have made a real difference (to coalition prospects) but because he has contributed an awful lot to parliament and worked hard.
"He helped to make it a genuine house of representatives by bringing a lot of colour and a unique style," Donald said.
Tanczos said his proudest work was his clean slate legislation that means people convicted of minor crimes have their criminal record wiped after seven years without offending.
"It affected half a million New Zealanders and I have people coming up to me on the street and thanking me for it," Tanczos said.
"My biggest disappointment is that we did not complete cannabis law reform. There are 20,000 cannabis convictions a year and it's an absolute waste of police and court time and young people's lives, for what is essentially just a herb."
Tanczos said there was a certain irony that if a portion of the 5748 people who voted for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party had voted Green, he an advocate for reform would have been back in parliament.
"But I have been really proud and humbled to be part of the Green caucus and I really thank them for the opportunity. I am now going to go bush for a little while, do some meditation, clear my head and see what comes."
Ousted MPs face life on the outside
Dominion Post, 03 October 2005
By MARTIN KAY
Matt Robson plans to brush up his Arabic and Nandor Tanczos will "sit with the trees", as the ousted MPs contemplate their futures.
National candidate Katrina Shanks, who made it into Parliament on September 17 but lost her list seat after the special votes were counted, is wondering whether anyone is looking for an accountant.
After two weeks on tenterhooks, Progressive deputy leader Mr Robson and Green MP Mr Tanczos, ranked seventh on the party's list, were philosophical about missing out after special votes were announced on Saturday, but insisted their political careers were not over.
Mr Robson admitted hoping that the special votes would be enough for him to sneak back in, but it was not the end of the world. "I was hoping, but that's different from realising how difficult it would be."
The former lawyer had received several job offers, but was still weighing up his options. A return to law was possible, but whatever he decided he would leave room for politics.
"We still have a representative in Parliament (leader Jim Anderton), and I'm still the deputy leader, so we want to support him with policy development and as strong a party structure as we can."
Mr Robson, who lived in the Netherlands for several years and speaks fluent Dutch, was also looking forward to brushing up on his French, German and Spanish. He also planned to master Arabic, which he was learning with a friend who was a native speaker.
Mr Tanczos – who was dropped from fourth to seventh on the party's list, apparently out of concern that his support for cannabis decriminalisation was scaring off middle-class voters – planned some time out.
"I've been tossing a few ideas around, but I need to really clear my mind, do a bit of meditation and see what's available," said New Zealand's first Rastafarian MP.
"I'll take off to the forest and go sit with the trees for a while. I find often when I'm at a crossroads in my life that the best thing I can do is go and sit somewhere beautiful with some trees, or by a body of water or something like that, do some meditation, clear my head, pray for a bit of guidance and open myself up, really."
Options for Mr Tanczos, a shareholder in the Hemp Shop, included working there or starting another business. He was not bitter about his demotion on the list, and planned to stay involved in politics and with the Greens. In the meantime, he was looking forward to spending more time with his 2½-year-old daughter.
"That's the big blessing of this, that I'll be able to spend time with my daughter at a really crucial age, and I'm totally looking forward to that because she's just absolutely gorgeous."
Mrs Shanks – who was 49th on National's list and dropped out of Parliament after the special votes saw it lose a seat – was also planning to stay involved in politics, though she was not sure what she would do till the next election. "Are you looking for an accountant?"
Mrs Shanks was a self-employed accountant before the election, but gave up her business to fight the campaign. She said she hoped to stand again in 2008. "To me, life's about how you get up if you've been knocked down and what you do with that experience. It's just a matter of picking myself up, adding that to who I am and moving on with it.
"I believe in 2008 there will be a change of government and I'm hoping to be part of the team that does that."
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