Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Labour takes aim at Foss' 'safe' seat

By Doug Laing
Hawkes Bay Today·
3 Mar, 2014 01:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

From left, Nevada Halbert, Anna Lorck and Sanjeev Bhatia would all like the chance to be Labour's candidate in the Tukituki electorate. Photo/Glenn Taylor

From left, Nevada Halbert, Anna Lorck and Sanjeev Bhatia would all like the chance to be Labour's candidate in the Tukituki electorate. Photo/Glenn Taylor

The Labour Party has launched a bid to wrestle back its once staunchly-held electorate power in Hastings in the face of a huge majority held by National incumbent Craig Foss.

The commitment to battle was laid as three people chasing the party candidacy in Hastings-based Tukituki electorate addressed a party meet-the-nominees meeting in Havelock North yesterday, determined that whatever the outcome of a selection meeting on March 16, they'll stick together to fight the war.

The three are horticulture labour provider Sanjeev Bhatia, of Meeanee; Hastings legal and commerce graduate and rights campaigner Nevada Halbert, and Waipukurau-raised business woman and former journalist Anna Lorck.

The chosen candidate faces the challenge of rolling Mr Foss, who in 2011 was returned for a third term with a 9660-votes majority over Labour candidate Julia Haydon-Carr.

Mr Foss was first elected in 2005, with a 2402-votes majority, ousting Labour MP Rick Barker, who had served four terms as an electorate MP, and who would serve two more as a Labour List MP.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Now a Hawke's Bay Regional Council member, Mr Barker entered Parliament in 1993.

The new hopefuls bubbled enthusiasm after yesterday's meeting, sure that if Labour picks up the supporters who haven't been voting and those disaffected after voting other parties in 2011, then Tukituki can be won.

Electorate chairman Peter Egerton, promising a clean campaign, said: "Everyone knows what Craig Foss hasn't got, but they don't know what we have got.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All three are committed, all three are determined, and all three promise that whoever gets selected they will work to support the candidate," he said.

Mr Bhatia has had about 10 years involved with the Labour Party since emigrating from India in 2001.

Working in vineyards and orchards, he runs orchard labour firm Wine Country Labour 2003 Ltd.

Mr Halbert has returned to his Hastings roots after travelling and working extensively overseas.

He has campaigned for animal welfare and environmental issues, as well as AIDS prevention and violence against women, while abroad.

Ms Lorck is a director in media company Attn! Marketing PR with husband Damon Harvey, providing communications, editing and publishing expertise to a range of businesses.

Mr Foss answered suggestions of a threat to his bastion by saying: "I will ask the people and families of Tukituki to continue their ongoing trust in National, me, and my Backing the Bay at every opportunity.

"I will continue to work as hard as always for an even better Hawke's Bay."

Labour has already chosen its candidates in Napier (Stuart Nash) and the CHB-inclusive Wairarapa electorate (Kieran McAnulty), and is expected to field new MP Meka Whaitiri in the Ikaroa Rawhiti electorate, which was not contested by National when she was elected in a by-election last year.

National selects a candidate to replace departing Napier MP Chris Tremain next Saturday, from three nominees: Chamber of Commerce executive director Wayne Walford and businesswomen Deborah Burnside and Adrienne Pearce, the latter also a recently-elected Hastings District councillor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's also still to select a candidate to replace departing Wairarapa MP John Hayes, with multi-millionaire Wellington-based investor Alastair Scott being challenged by new list MP and Apiti farmer Jo Hayes, originally from Eketahuna and no relation to the incumbent.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

In the palm of his hand – the rise of a third top NZ men's shotputter

Hawkes Bay Today

'I feel aggrieved': 92-year-old online shopper's warning after supermarket meat purchase

Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Premium
In the palm of his hand – the rise of a third top NZ men's shotputter
Hawkes Bay Today

In the palm of his hand – the rise of a third top NZ men's shotputter

You know Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill, but a third Kiwi could join them at the world champs.

16 Jul 06:00 PM
'I feel aggrieved': 92-year-old online shopper's warning after supermarket meat purchase
Hawkes Bay Today

'I feel aggrieved': 92-year-old online shopper's warning after supermarket meat purchase

16 Jul 06:00 PM
How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer
Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

16 Jul 03:49 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP