2020 election: Advance NZ’s Jami-Lee Ross abandons attempt to retain Botany’s job

Advance NZ co-leader Jami-Lee Ross has abandoned his bid to retain Botany’s seat in the election.

Instead, the former National Party deputy will campaign as a single-list candidate, after a decade as deputy for Botánica.

Former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon won the National Party nomination to contest Botany’s seat.

Ross said he is confident that party co-leader Billy Te Kahika will win at Te Tai Tokerau and bring the party to parliament.

“It is an emotional decision to take a step back from where it all began as a local representative, but this is not goodbye,” Ross said in a statement today.

“Advance NZ is gaining momentum and I have taken on the role of leading the strategic direction of our campaign.

“I could not do justice to our 60 applicants, our 7,000 members and thousands of volunteers while successfully participating in the trialogue here on the ground.”

Advance NZ will present a shortlist of more than 60 applicants across New Zealand.

Ross said he believed the growth in party membership, fundraising, social media outreach, and increased number of volunteers showed the party was growing.

“Billy’s energy and connection to the voters, along with my experience in Parliament, will make Advance NZ competitive on October 17,” he said.

Ross comfortably won Botany in 2017, with a majority of 12,839, winning 62 percent of the total votes cast.

However, he was expelled from the National Party after a high-profile confrontation with then-leader Simon Bridges and claimed that Bridges had violated electoral finance laws.

Ross was later indicted by the Serious Fraud Office, while Bridges, a former Crown prosecutor who denied any crime, was not charged.

In February, it was revealed that Ross was one of four men indicted by the SFO on allegations of two $ 100,000 donations to the National Party.

The four men have denied the allegations against them for donations of $ 100,000 in 2017 and $ 100,050 in 2018. A trial in Auckland High Court will take place in September next year.

Ross faces two charges for the alleged use of a “fraudulent device, trick or ploy” to split the two donations.

Political parties are required by law to report the details of donations, contributions, and loans of more than $ 15,000.

Before entering Parliament, Ross was a Manukau City Councilor and later an Auckland Councilor.