Duncan Webb will contest the Christchurch Central election for the Labour Party.

Lawyer and academic Duncan Webb has been chosen as the Christchurch Central candidate for the Labour Party.

The party selected Webb on Saturday to challenge National MP Nicky Wagner, who has held the seat since 2011.

The electorate was once a Labour strong-hold, but was won comfortably by Wagner in 2014.

IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Duncan Webb has been an advocate for homeowners struggling with earthquake claims.

Webb, an insurance expert, has represented many Canterbury homeowners struggling with earthquake claims.

He was behind the launch of a petition calling for a royal commission of inquiry into the Earthquake Commission's repair standards.

READ MORE

* Christchurch lawyer Duncan Webb seeking Labour Party nomination

* Live chat with insurance expert Duncan Webb

* OPINION: Late, inadequate and frequently defective

* Petition for Royal Commission inquiry into shoddy repairs launched

He is a long-time Labour Party member, and lives and works in the electorate as a partner at law firm Lane Neave.

Webb said too many people had struggled after the earthquakes, and he believed there was an urgent need for change in the city.

"We must have ordinary people, everyday New Zealanders at the centre of everything we do," he said.

"People should be the top priority in the day-to-day decisions around how the city is rebuilt, as well as how we respond to events like earthquakes.

"A Labour government will make Christchurch a better place for everyone and I know I can help to make that happen."

While his colleagues supported his decision to enter politics, he could not continue working at Lane Neave once selected, he said.

Webb said his campaign would begin immediately, and he would open an electorate office in the coming months.

"There are hundreds of people who have offered to help and now it's time to get out and tell people that Labour is the real alternative to the current leadership in Christchurch Central.

"This election will be about the whole of Christchurch, seizing the opportunities for everyone in Christchurch and changing the way our city is represented in Wellington."