Record number of candidates vying for Tauranga electorate seat

RECORD: Eleven candidates seeking Tauranga electorate seat. Photo/File

Eleven people are vying for the Tauranga electorate seat this election, the highest number of candidates in any electorate in the country.

That includes three independent candidates Rusty Kane, Hugh Robb and Yvette Lamare, incumbent National Party MP Simon Bridges, and NZ First's Clayton Mitchell.

Joseph Borell from the Maori Party, Green Party's Emma-Leigh Lodge, Jason Jobsis from Democrats for Social Credit, ACT party's Stuart Pedersen, Jan Tinetti from the Labour Party and Ben Rickard from United Future are also seeking office.

Standing in the Bay of Plenty electorate are incumbent National Party MP Todd Muller,
Labour Party's Angie Warren-Clark, Raewyn Bennett from the Maori Party, ACT Party's Bruce Carley and Lester Gray from New Zealand First.

It's a two horse race for the Waiariki Electorate seat with Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell going head to head with Labour Party candidate Tamati Coffey.

The electorates with the lowest number of candidates are Waiariki and Hauraki-Waikato with two each, and

Election day is September 23.

Enrolments to vote are still open with 3,167,252 people so far had their names placed on the electoral roll, well above the 3,140,417 enrolled at the last election.

"We're especially pleased that 16,694 voters in the 18-29 age group enrolled during August, but there are still a lot of people who aren't enrolled," chief electoral officer Alicia Wright said.

"You need to be enrolled to be able to vote and have your say this election, so if you're not on a roll already, get it sorted now," she said.

To check your enrolment status go to website www.elections.org.nz.