If Napier were to go to the polls tomorrow, Labour MP Stuart Nash could be returning for another term.
The incumbent MP was the favourite of those spoken to across the electorate, from Wairoa, to Napier CBD. He will be fighting to retain his seat against National's David Elliott, the Green Party's Damon Rusden, Maori Party candidate Maryanne Marsters and Democrats for Social Credit's Karl Matthys.
In the bustling Napier CBD, voters are concerned with here-and-now issues - boosting the city, the growing number of homeless, and the degradation of Hawke's Bay water.
Although Napier seemed to be benefiting from tourism - particularly with its Art Deco focus - Chris Loveridge said something needed to be done to perk up the CBD.
"Napier just seems a bit dead. When I was younger Emerson St was the Friday night place to be."
"There used to be a saying, Napier is the best place to live, work, and raise a family in NZ. They should bring it back up to that standard," said Jo Galbraith, who wants a Napier hospital, and will be voting Labour.
For Matthew, who did not want his last name used, "Water is the biggest issue".
"When I came here six years ago the water was the best thing, now it's made me sick in the last few months."
"As a retailer, I think they need to fix the homelessness issue," Justin Walker said. "They can't just move them along they need to help those people."
However, in northern Hawke's Bay, Wairoa residents stopped on the main stretch of the town - next to vacant shops, and boarded windows - worry about housing, boosting the centre's population, healthcare, and not being forgotten about by the successful MP.
Most of the town's issues could be solved, Richard Papp thinks, if "we just had more people".
His solution - that the government should provide support to build more housing, which could also create jobs.
Ensuring the pension and wages were liveable was the key concern for a group of women who help at St Paul's Anglican church who previously lived in big towns, but moved to Wairoa because of its affordability.
"The town is full of people who have come here in order to survive because they can't survive in [major centres]," Cindy Bridson said.
This drove her to move from Hamilton 18 months ago.
"I've worked really hard and I'm now too old. Without a mortgage, the pension is possible to live on."
Despite a lower profile than his Labour opponent, National's Mr Elliott had a lot of support across the electorate from staunch National supporters, those voting along party lines.
"I'll be voting for National," Napier resident Karreen Mathers said. "I've always supported National and I don't like Labour's policies, they're only going to put the country backwards. I'll be supporting David Elliott."
Dave Dyer said he wasn't happy about everything, "but I think this National Government is doing a good job".
"They're more sensible, they don't get caught up in silly stuff like other parties who just fire shots at each other, [National] has a shot at doing things."
Other voters cited recent changes with Labour as being enough to shift their support to the party.
"I've always voted National, but Labour's water tax is the only reason I might not be," Wairoa resident Mike Baty said.
"I'm getting closer to a decision, it's changed because of developments in the last two to three weeks," Napier's John Dobbs said. "I'm a reasonably happy voter I guess, I like living in Napier."
The Greens are the favourite for Napier city youth - like first time voter Katie MacLean, 18 - who wants more youth activities - and maybe from Christa Bailey, who would be deciding closer to the election "to make sure I have all the information".
They would also be getting the tick from those who see the clean-up of Wairoa's environment as the biggest issue facing the district.
"When I was a child, people used to say you could stick a fishing line out your window into the Wairoa River, and reel a fish into your kitchen sink," Carol Kaui said.
Tom Kaui hoped the Green Party would put infrastructure in place that would mean people did not pollute the awa.
Mr Nash would be getting the vote of the majority spoken to - in Napier city, voters felt like he had "done a good job" in the past three years.
"Stuart Nash is a politician, it's in his blood, and we Maori go for blood all the way," Napier resident George Haimona said. "He needs to get in to make me proud, make Napier proud, and make his great-grandfather [Walter Nash] proud."
His support in Wairoa appeared to stem mainly from residents not knowing who the other candidates were.
If any Greens, Maori or Democrats for Social Credit hoardings have been put up in Wairoa, they are hard to find, while the respective red and blue hoardings of Mr Nash and Mr Elliott dot the side of the SH2 up to Wairoa.
"Stuart Nash is up here quite a lot, I see his car around," Tamara Rudd said. "I can't say I've ever seen the National candidate."
A number of people across the electorate did not know who they would be voting for, or felt like Napier's John - who did not want his last name used.
"I don't vote because it's a waste of time."