A year ago New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said his party would be targeting Whanganui as a winnable seat this election.
But with just under a month till the polls NZ First has only just announced its candidate.
Whanganui electorate chairman Reg Skipworth will fly the flag for NZ First and said internal conflict had disrupted the campaign locally but it was now back on track.
"If we'd had the right people on the committee the whole time building up to the election ... I think we would've been in a position to win the seat," he said.
"I'm not going in this to lose but I'm being realistic. I've got an uphill battle.