Here's what Josie Pagani has to say on Labour's proposed Man-Ban, via Stuff:
"I can't understand why the Labour Party would be emphasising something like this when they're trying to get the focus on jobs and power prices and the need to get wages up, so strategically it doesn't make sense to be talking about this right now."
She did not feel a need to be pushed forward as a candidate based on her gender.
"Certainly I wouldn't stand in a seat where I felt like the implication was I couldn't win it on my own accord without some 'special help'," she said.
"That's the thing about quotas - for me they are short-term measures, they're a kick-start when needed."
While there could be a need for quotas in countries such as Afghanistan - where women have been excluded from the political process - that was not the case in New Zealand.
"We absolutely need more women represented in Parliament - but we need a diverse section of women represented in Parliament - and I think that's more effective.
"I feel there needs to be a diverse range of women represented in political processes and in the Labour Party, but I think this is a blunt instrument."
This is incredibly dumb politics from Labour, and especially from the party's new general secretary Tim Barnett. What on earth is Labour thinking?
Girls can do anything. Quotas are demeaning, patronising and just plain stupid.
UPDATE: Kudos to Josie Pagani; she has now confirmed that she will not stand for Labour again if the Man-Ban becomes a policy. That would be the Labour Party's loss.
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