Riding a blue wave: Kirkpatrick’s victory a 9500-vote turnaround from 2020 election

East Coast electorate-winning National candidate and now MP Dana Kirkpatrick with her children Anna and Sam Rasmussen and mother Heather at what became a celebratory event at the RSA on Saturday night. Ms Kirkpatrick is Gisborne born and bred with a background in journalism (including The Gisborne Herald), communications and marketing and business development, and was Equestrian Sport NZ chief executive for over five years. She has worked in various towns and cities of the North Island, returning to live in Gisborne after a stint in Hawke’s Bay. Picture by Paul Rickard

 

East Coast MP-elect Dana Kirkpatrick was in Wellington yesterday with a new-look National caucus on the back of a general election preliminary winning majority of 3138.

She replaces Labour’s Kiri Allan, who resigned her ministerial portfolios in July and announced she would not be standing for

re-election after being involved in a car crash and facing charges resulting from that.

Ms Allan won the electorate in the 2020 election with a margin of over 6300 votes.

Ms Kirkpatrick, the daughter of Heather and the late David Kirkpatrick of Ngatapa, was in a cautious mood at her election event at the Gisborne RSA on Saturday night.

Early on she was not claiming the win and told The Gisborne Herald only those National candidates certain of victory would be in the capital city this week on their induction course.

It had been a fun night watching the results come in with family and friends, she said.

“So far, so good.”

Speaking to The Herald on Monday when victory was assured, she  said she felt privileged to have been chosen by the electorate.

“I’m looking forward to getting into it.”

She attributed National’s massive “blue wave” victory to the country showing a mood for change.

“People had had enough of non-delivery. National has a plan to fix the economy and improve the cost of living, fix education and health.

“People could see that. Cost of living is No.1.”

Cyclone recovery and the state of roads were key local issues, she said.

She believed a good number of undecided voters were people who did not want to reveal how they intended to vote.

“I’m just stoked people have seen the way forward.”

Ms Kirkpatrick said there was “much work to do” and “the boss (National Party leader Christopher Luxon) has told us we will not be having an early break . . . we’ll be working right up to the 24th.”

Ms Kirkpatrick, who has run other political campaigns, said she went into the election with her eyes wide open.

“I knew it was going to be tough and a long slog . . . 100 percent energy every day.

It’s been six months. It’s been 28,000 kilometres,” she told her supporters on Saturday night. “You might be wondering why i’m wearing these funny old shoes tonight . . . but these shoes have been on my feet every day  for the entire campaign so I couldn’t really take them off today and put some other ones on. But they’re going in the bin tomorrow.”

Labour’s Tamati Coffey also expressed early evening caution despite early negative signs.

He was in “my fourth rodeo” and would wait until later in the night when more than 50 percent of the vote was in.

Urban booths normally came in late and favoured Labour, he said.

Later in the night he said: “Obviously the voters have decided and maybe voters wanted change for change’s sake”.

The Government had done a fantastic job during a pandemic and cyclones, but tough decisions had been made which had not been universally liked.

Some people did not like being told what to do.

“I think maybe there is a little bit of that coming out in the vote today.”

Mr Coffey said he believed “in my heart of hearts” that Chris Hipkins was the best person to be Prime Minister.

Asked if National won “the undecided voters”, Mr Coffey said he was unsure.

A million New Zealanders did not exercise their right to vote in each election, he said.

Did National win the undecided or was it a case of “our voters not showing up”?

Mr Coffey was asked if the much lower advanced voter turnout compared to 2020 was a bad sign for the Labour vote, or an indication of the Covid-19 situation three years ago.

He went for the latter.

The 2020 election was an anomaly . . . “nothing was normal about 2020”, he said.

He did not believe “for a second” Labour was being punished by the nature of (former East Coast MP and Cabinet minister” Kiri Allan’s departure from the seat.

“There’s a lot of love for Kiri.”

Mr Coffey was always confident Labour would retain Ikaroa-Rawhiti — Cushla Tangaere-Manuel defeated Te Pāti Māori candidate and Labour defector Meka Whaitiri by 2860 votes.

Ikaroa-Rawhiti had a long-standing relationship with Labour just as the Ratana Church did, and had “withstood” the foreshore and seabed controversy.

Mr Coffey had originally announced his retirement from politics before stepping in as a late replacement for Ms Allan.

He did not regret his belated decision to stand in East Coast.

“I’m a bit of a ‘later-comer’ but I have put everything into this campaign.”

He was asked if this was definitely the end of his six years in politics.

“I’m not sure — never say never.”

Labour would have to do some soul-searching. Another issue to consider as the party rebuilt was the strong vote for third parties, he said.