Napier MP Chris Tremain has been returned for a third term in Parliament with no hint that he may not seek a fourth when the next election comes around in 2014.
Never at risk since breaking Labour's stranglehold in the electorate in 2005, and elected Senior Government Whip in 2009, the 45-year-old father-of-three said on Saturday night his goal was to become a Cabinet minister.
He shied from staking specific claims, but is fitted for a number of roles should he be shoulder-tapped, from his local background in business, real estate, sport and other community involvement, to parliamentary involvement in Treaty settlement issues.
Mr Tremain, who spent Saturday night with wife Ange, sons Sam and Will and daughter Lily, his campaign team and party supporters in the Harpoon Room at the Thirsty Whale on West Quay, said, however, he still had a lot more work to do for Napier and Hawke's Bay.
But it doesn't include driving any twin-city councils merger, his stance on the issue having been confused during the election campaign, to the point of possibly explaining the slashing of his majority.
"My position is that I want a plan for the region," he said. "There may be a whole range of options."
He said Labour candidate Stuart Nash was able to take the "easy" stance of opposing amalgamation, and got a lot of "mileage" for it.
Clearly in celebration mode, he said: "My competition stepped up a gear. Stuart ran an extremely good campaign. He worked his butt off and, in that respect, I've got to congratulate him."
Visiting briefly to offer his congratulations to the victor, Mr Nash said: "This is Chris' night."
Mr Tremain had 16,149 votes on election night to the 12,767 of Mr Nash, among a total of 31,631 counted, with 3163 specials still to be counted. Greens candidate Paul Bailey polled third with 1161.
A high number of informals, 665, outnumbered the votes of each of the other candidates, Roy Brown (Conservative), John Ormond (Act), Rod Paul (Mana) and Mary O'Neill (Alliance).