9 Jul 2017

Kenneth Wang to leave ACT Party

8:03 pm on 9 July 2017

ACT Party deputy leader Kenneth Wang has resigned from the party after he received a low list ranking.

ACT Party David Seymour 21 June 2017

ACT Party leader David Seymour Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Mr Wang was offered a spot on the list that he felt wasn't commensurate with his position, though he did not say what that position was.

Mr Wang was ACT's deputy leader from 2014 until this year.

He enjoyed a brief stint in Parliament just before the 2005 election, after Donna Awatere Huata was expelled from the House.

Mr Wang said he felt ACT held different priorities now to when he joined the party in 2002.

"In 2002, ACT was strongly adapting to new New Zealanders, Asians and Chinese, and I don't think that today ACT Party is as tough as it was before."

But the party's leader, and first-ranked MP, Mr Seymour said those values were still important to ACT.

He said Mr Wang was simply upset at being dropped down the party's list and wasn't being a team player.

Others in the party's top 10 are former top cricketer Bhupinder Singh, retail manager Stephen Berry, private investor Stuart Pedersen, business owner Anneka Carlson, lawyer Shan Mg, student Sam Purchas and businesswoman Toni Severin.

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