Catherine Chu said she has "nothing to hide" after omitting her city council role from a flier promoting her as National's Banks Peninsula candidate. (First published February 2020)

Budding Christchurch MP Catherine Chu has come under fire for failing to mention her city council role on a flyer introducing herself to constituents.

Chu, 23, was elected to the Christchurch City Council and Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) in October and eight weeks later was chosen as National's candidate for the Port Hills.

However, no mention was made of her council or health board roles in a postcard-sized card delivered to homes in the electorate over the weekend. It does mention her position as an "authorised financial advisor with a major bank" in Christchurch – a job she is leaving on March 27.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF Catherine Chu, 23, was elected to the Christchurch City Council and Canterbury District Health Board in October and eight weeks later was chosen as National's candidate for the Port Hills.

Chu said this week she had nothing to hide and did not include the information because there was not enough room on the flyer to do so.

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"It was very restrictive how much I could write in there. I didn't want to overload them with information."

Supplied Catherine Chu says she has nothing to hide despite not mentioning her role as a city councillor on an introductory flyer.

She said she had originally thought about writing a letter, but was not sure people would read it, so decided on the smaller A6 postcard format.

"I did have it initially, but there were so many other things that I wanted to write about myself."

Chu said everyone she chatted to over the phone already knew she was a city councillor.

Supplied The postcard-size flyer sent to Port Hills electorate residents introducing Chu.

"I always tell people my back story. I'm not trying to hide it."

If elected to represent Port Hills in September, Chu plans to resign as councillor, which will force a by-election for the Riccarton ward. A by-election would cost ratepayers about $65,000 to $70,000.

Councillors receive a salary of $114,130 and district health board members are on about $26,000.

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union spokeswoman Casey Russell said Chu should be open with Christchurch ratepayers and taxpayers about her roles.

The biggest concern was how much a parliamentary campaign would detract from Chu's responsibilities as a councillor and CDHB member, Russell said.

"She isn't paid $114,000 a year by ratepayers to campaign for national politics. She needs to prove her commitment to fiscal responsibility by taking unpaid leave during the campaign period."

Chu said she would not take a leave of absence while campaigning because she believed she could do both roles effectively.

"I work pretty long hours. I literally have no life. I just work all the time."

She said she slept just three hours a night and functioned "better as a person" by doing so.

Chu has been working as a financial adviser for a bank in Christchurch since she was elected in October. She only decided to resign from the bank because of her nomination for the Port Hills seat.

"If I was not a candidate for the National Party then I think I could have managed with reduced hours. A few people on council do that currently."

Her top priority was to be good councillor, she said.

"That is what I have always wanted to be. Nothing comes before that. I'm just a candidate at this stage."