BOP Elctorate: New MP out to push region's wider interests

National's new Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller, here with his wife, Michelle, is planning to put his head down and work hard for the next three years.

National's new MP for the Bay of Plenty, Todd Muller, is determined not to be pigeon-holed by a lifetime of working in the agri-business sector.

Mr Muller, who won 61 per cent of the candidate vote in the National stronghold, also said it was time to stop the confusion around the name of the electorate.

He was delighted with the result, which came from a standing start 10 weeks ago when no one knew who he was. Support for Mr Muller ended up only 5 per cent behind what his high-profile predecessor Tony Ryall achieved in the 2011 election.

Mr Muller said he and his team of volunteers knocked on 10,500 doors.

"We really did push it."

He did not want his commercial background in the kiwifruit, avocado and dairy industries to pigeon-hole his political career, saying he was not going to Wellington to pivot around a single issue: "It is about representing the broader interests of the Bay of Plenty community."

He said he would follow the late Sir Keith Holyoake's advice as he prepared for office.

"He said just work as hard as you can in the first three years for your constituency and breathe through your nose, and that is what I will do."

He acknowledged his two mentors - former Prime Minister Jim Bolger and Mr Ryall.

Mr Muller agreed with New Zealand First's candidate Ray Dolman that it was time to change the name of the electorate because it was confusing.

Most people related the name Bay of Plenty to the whole province, whereas the electorate boundaries had changed so much that it was now a seat that largely wrapped around central Tauranga. Mr Muller said one option would be to revert to the old electorate name of Kaimai.

Mr Dolman, who took nearly 13 per cent of the candidate vote, said New Zealand First had overtaken Labour into second place for the Bay of Plenty party vote.

He said boundary changes had seen the electorate moving further away from his Whakatane home and it was time for the seat to get a new name.

Mr Dolman said the apathy that led to nearly a quarter of the country's eligible voters staying away from polling booths was caused by national media telling people months out from the election who was going to win. It led to people saying, "What's the point of voting."

Labour candidate Clare Wilson took 18 per cent of the candidate vote, a small improvement on 2011: "I tried my best and at the end of the day, that is all you can do."

Ms Wilson was disappointed with the complacency in which large numbers of young people felt that their votes did not count. She said her husband did two tours of duty in countries where people paid for democracy with their blood.

Conservatives candidate Deborah Cunliffe said the party would have won seats in Parliament if the local result had carried through to the rest of New Zealand.

She believed the Conservatives would have passed the 5 per cent threshold if they had a different relationship with National. Voters had been spooked by National's "Your vote is crucial" message which took support from the Conservatives due to fears National might not get the numbers to govern.

Todd Muller

• Was most recently a senior executive at Fonterra.

• Has been a National Party member for 25 years.

• Grew up in the Bay of Plenty and worked on his family's kiwifruit orchard before becoming a senior manager at Zespri in his early 30s.

• Is 59th on the National Party list.

- Additional reporting Carmen Hall