New Zealand opposition Labor Party leader steps down

New Zealand's opposition Labor Party leader David Shearer resigned as the party leader on Thursday.

In a short statement, Shearer said he had lost the confidence of a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) and was stepping down.

He said the party's polling had not lifted as much as they had hoped and there would be a clean change and a new leader chosen.

He said there was no letter asking him to go nor a non-confidence vote.

The Mt Albert MP said he would stay on as a Member of Parliament.

Shearer, 56, was elected to Parliament at a by-election in 2009 and became party leader in 2011.

He previously worked for the United Nations for almost 20 years.

The Labor Party will now start the process for a new leader to be determined. The election process is expected to take three to four weeks.