Steven Ching
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steven Ching is a New Zealand political candidate.
Ching, an Auckland businessman, has been an important figure in building up support for Labour from the Chinese community. He was selected to stand in the 2005 elections for the Labour Party, and was ranked forty-second on its party list. This was the third highest position given by Labour to someone who is not already a member of Parliament. If elected, he would have become the Labour Party's first Chinese MP, and the third Chinese MP overall. In May, however, Ching stood aside from the list due to allegations that he offered to use his connections to secure someone appointment as a Justice of the Peace. Ching asserted that he had done nothing wrong, and denied the accusations. A police investigation has been launched, but the newspaper which printed the original accusations has now withdrawn them. However, it was later announced that Labour and Ching had agreed that it was "not in the best interests of Labour for him to continue as a candidate" — as such, he has been removed from the list.
