Green Party’s Michel Mulipola campaigns in Māngere but has no interest in becoming MP
Artist and wrestler Michel Mulipola is running as a Green candidate in the safe Labour seat of Māngere to grow the party's support, not to win a place in parliament.
Michel Mulipola, an artist and professional wrestler known online as the Bloody Samoan, is standing as the Green Party's electorate-only candidate in Māngere, one of Labour's safest seats. He explicitly does not want to become an MP, instead aiming to build a sustainable Green movement in South Auckland and connect the party with Pasifika and Māori communities. Mulipola plans to return to his creative work after the election, including his projects with major companies and efforts to engage young people in the arts.
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One Candidate, One Pint: Why winning Māngere is the ‘worst-case scenario’ for the Greens’ Michel Mulipola
He’s an electorate-only candidate in the safest of safe Labour seats, but the outspoken artist/wrestler isn’t campaigning to get himself into parliament – it’s all about the party. It’s an early afternoon in South Auckland, and Herbs’ ‘Dragons and Demons’…