Labour’s Tai Tokerau candidate, Kelvin Davis, is questioning the custom that sees women relegated to the back seats during powhiri.

At an event at west Auckland’s Waipareira Centre last night, candidates were asked about a review of protocol instigated by Speaker David Carter after Labour MPs Annette King and Maryan Street were directed away from the front seat during a welcome for the youth parliament.

Mr Davis says as far as he is concerned it’s nothing to do with Ms Street, but it’s up to Wellington’s tangata whenua iwi Te Atiawa and Ngati Toa to decide on the tikanga of the whare.

He says the issue seems to come down to whether women should sit in the front row.

"I personally don’t have qualms about that because we make a big song and dance about protecting women in a powhiri from a perceived attack from the front when actually women are often more at risk in their own homes and I think it's hypocritical for us to say 'women, you can't sit on the front in a powhiri' when in their own homes they’re unsafe," Mr Davis says.

He says elimination of sexual and domestic violence is one of his priorities if he is elected back to parliament.

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