News

Local ACT Party MP Hilary Calvert has been dumped from the party list for November’s election, less than a year after entering Parliament. 
Calvert is notably absent from the list of candidates released by the party. There are conflicting accounts surrounding the reasons for this, although party deputy leader John Boscawen has indicated that it was Calvert’s decision not to seek re-election. Calvert conflicted this report, saying her name was on the ballot of candidates that went out to the membership, and she understood that the party board “wanted a new look team.” 
Calvert switched sides in the leadership struggle of the ACT Party earlier this year, supporting Dr Don Brash when he rolled MP Rodney Hide for the position. Despite this, Calvert says she is not bitter about the party’s decision to dump her from the list. 
“ACT is a party of principle, and Don can be expected to do what he sees as in the best interests of good government providing choice, personal responsibility and the provision of a framework for each of us to carry out our own hopes and dreams, rather than the Government taking on our lives.”
Calvert has been acting in the role of party whip for ACT, which seems conveniently kinky considering her ownership of the building in Dunedin which houses La Maison, a massage parlour. After the November election, Calvert intends to “travel more while I think about my next adventure.”  speculates that this ‘adventure’ is likely to involve the installation of a slide at La Maison, to compete with the legendary offering of rival parlour Lucky Sevens.
With Calvert gone, media focus has centred on the vacant No 3 position on the party’s list. Esteemed Dunedin publication the ODT has speculated that with Calvert gone from the party, the no.3 position seems likely to be held for a woman. The next highest woman on the list is Kath McCabe, at number nine. With ACT’s current dismal polling the party is likely to only have three MPs in Parliament after the election, so the number three spot is of some importance. 
Calvert expressed concern about the lack of high-ranking females in the ACT Party, saying that “part of the issue ACT has is that providing greater diversity, and experience and bringing younger people on board is difficult for parties with fewer MPs.  It is also difficult for smaller parties to have a good geographical cover.” 
Dr Brash has said the position was being held for someone who had the unanimous support of the board, and had strong credentials for the role, but was not in a position to confirm availability. The person concerned was not currently an MP. 
It is understood that the person likely to fill the position is former party president Catherine Isaac, whose availability depends on the health of her husband, Business Roundtable executive director Roger Kerr, who is battling cancer.
Calvert replaced disgraced MP David Garrett after it was revealed he had once stolen the identity of a dead baby to obtain a false passport. Critic has googled David Garrett, and found he looks nothing like a dead baby, so his plan had obvious flaws from the start. Attempts to get a new Video Ezy membership using the identity of the infamous Studholme baby failed in a similarly miserable fashion, as apparently we look nothing like a dead infant in a plastic bag.