George Hawkins

By Adam Roberts for NZPA

Wellington, Oct 12 NZPA - Labour's long-serving Manurewa MP George Hawkins is not ruling out forcing a by-election in his electorate but is waiting to see what his new work load is like after being elected to the Manurewa Local Board on Saturday.

He confirmed to NZPA this afternoon that he would not be standing in next year's general election, but had not decided whether he would resign from Parliament sooner.

"People don't yet know what sort of workload the local boards will have, how much is delegated from the super council, so I will talk it over with the Manurewa Action Team, which I'm a part of, then come and talk to people down there [Parliament]," Mr Hawkins said.

One consideration was the high cost of a by-election. Should he remain in Parliament until six months before the general election, a by-election would not be required.

Labour leader Phil Goff has not yet discussed the issue with his MP.

Mr Hawkins said he hoped to make the decision in the next month.

He has held the Manurewa seat since 1990. In government, he held the ministerial portfolios of Police, Internal Affairs, Civil Defence and Veterans' Affairs.

His election at the weekend marks his return to local body politics. He was a member of the Papakura council for three years and then mayor for nine years.

When he announced his intention to run for the seat in August, Mr Hawkins said he wanted to make sure the voice of Manurewa was heard.

"With 21 boards there will be a lot of scrambling for each local area and I think my experience will help."

Manurewa is a safe Labour seat, with Mr Hawkins winning in 2008 by a margin of 6726 votes.

Possible contenders include former Labour list MP Louisa Wall and Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union member Jerome Mika.

Labour MP Shane Jones, long tipped as a replacement for Mr Hawkins, ruled himself out in the weekend, saying he believed MPs should live in the electorate they represented, and he did not want to move his family.

Progressive Party leader and Labour supporter Jim Anderton has also confirmed he will retire from Parliament at the end of this term, and in doing so vacate his Wigram seat.