Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, October 16, 2023
Hamilton has been a hotspot of Politics due to last year’s by-elections which was the first sign of change in public perception for the Labour Party. The recent results have further highlighted the blue spirit that is prevailing in the region.
Indian Newslink consolidates all the major updates of Elections 2023 for the Hamilton region along with the mood of the voters and the most talked about highlights that came from the region.
Hamilton East
Home to Waikato University and many of its students, Hamilton East has the third-highest proportion among the general electorates of those aged 15 years and over on a student allowance (6.4%). Almost one in eight people (11.8%) in the workforce work in the education and training sector – also the third-highest proportion in the country.
The seat was previously secured by Labour’s Jamie Strange, who won comfortably with a margin of 2973 votes. National’s Ray Hamilton won the seat by securing 14, 318 votes, followed by Labour Party candidate Georgie Dansey, who secured 10,355 votes and Act Party candidate Himanshu Parmar who secured 1300 votes.
Mr Hamilton became a City Councillor in 2018 and has lived in and around Hamilton for 36 years. He is also a small business owner and his on-ground presence was a major draw for the voters.
Ms Lee, who is a resident and voter in the Hamilton East area said, “It was so good to see Ryan Hamilton campaigning on the streets and at the Home and Garden Show. I wish him the best for the way forward.”
Ms Hamilton focused his campaign on issues such as crime, cost of living, lifting incomes, building infrastructure, restoring law and order, and delivering better health and education outcomes.
“Thank you Hamilton East. It is a real privilege to be elected as your new MP. I cannot wait to get to work representing our electorate. And a huge thank you to my family and everyone who has supported me on the campaign. It would not have been possible without you,” he said.
Hamilton West
Hamilton West is regarded as a bellwether seat. Since the electorate was created in 1969, the National Party has had its plurality of fortunes, although intermittently losing to Labour. Incumbent
Tama Potaka won with a total of 14,348 votes against the Labour Party’s Myra Williamson who secured 8951 votes and Green Party’s Benjamin Doyle who secured 2350 votes.
Mr Potaka took the seat in the 2022 by-election, winning by a margin of 2433 votes, necessitated by the resignation of Labour’s Gaurav Sharma.
Mr Potaka campaigned on rebuilding the economy to reduce the cost of living. Tackle inflation, give tax relief, and support whānau. He also emphasised the need to restore law and order, back police, address youth offending, and have real consequences for crime.
His work with the community was noticed by the voters and the recent announcement of plans to reopen the Dinsdale community’s Supermarket was also applauded by the community.
Mr Potaka said, “Over the past ten months I have been lucky enough to serve the people as MP of Hamilton West the best place to grow up and old in the best country on earth. I am very humbled and look forward to going back to Wellington to advocate for Hamilton and make this great place even greater.”
Hauraki-Waikato creates history
21-year-old Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke unseated Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Hauraki-Waikato, making her the youngest member of Parliament in 170 years, making it one of the most prominent outcomes which set a record in New Zealand’s politics.
Ms Mahuta was elected to the Tainui seat in 2002. It was later renamed Hauraki-Waikato in 2008, and Mahuta has been the incumbent since.
Ms Maipi-Clarke sits fourth on Te Pāti Māori’s list and has achieved a big feat, as the result was not expected or predicted by any of the polls.
Ms Maipi-Clarke comes from a politically vocal family as she is the niece of a pioneer of the Māori language movement Hana Te Hemara, who delivered the Māori language petition on the steps of Parliament in 1972.
She is also the granddaughter of Taitimu Maipi, the Ngā Tamatoa member who took to the Captain Hamilton statue Outside Hamilton City Council’s Office with a hammer and red paint in 2018, challenging its colonial legacy and Hamilton’s role in the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s.
Port Waikato By-election
The death of ACT party candidate Neil Christensen just a week before the election meant that the electorate votes in Port Waikato could not be cast on election day, while the party vote was counted.
The deadline for candidate nominations is mid-day on Friday, October 20, 2023, and the by-election will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2023.
Port Waikato is a safe National seat, held by MP Andrew Bayly. The Electoral Commission earlier confirmed that if Mr Bayly subsequently won the byelection, his list spot would go to the next National candidate on the list. That would give National one more seat than it would have won in the election.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
