At least six people chase Chris Tremain's seat

Napier MP Chris Tremain won't be seeking re-election and believes as many as six people will be chasing his seat in Parliament. Photo/File

Napier MP Chris Tremain believes as many as six people could be chasing his seat as a National Party representative in Parliament.

Having announced at the end of September he won't be seeking re-election, after nine years in Parliament, Mr Tremain said last night he's aware of six potential replacements, a good mix of local and from outside the region, and of male and female.

He won't discuss names before the three-week nomination period ends. It opened Saturday.

Those looking to contest the seat for National have to secure the signatures of at least 10 party members, for their names to go to selection after nominations close on February 3.

A pre-selection meeting is scheduled for February 12, with the possibility the number will be trimmed for a final selection on March 8.

Ironically, it's a process Mr Tremain never had to endure - there were no other contenders for the party's nomination in Napier when he first stood in 2005 and became part of the blue wave that swamped Hawke's Bay and the East Coast.

"It was a very different seat then," he said, indicating a particularly strong push by National to increase the party vote in the electorate, which once heavily supported Labour. It now includes Wairoa and could extend north into the current East Coast electorate, where Police Minister and former Napier deputy mayor Anne Tolley expects to stand again.

Hastings-based Tukituki MP Craig Foss is set to go another round after his National Party candidacy was confirmed this month. Regarded as safe defending a personal majority of over 9000, he reiterates the importance of the party vote, saying: "It's the party vote that decides the election."

The only other major party general electorate situations affecting Hawke's Bay are in Wairarapa, which includes Central Hawke's Bay.

MP John Hayes is not seeking the National nomination in his electorate, while Labour last month selected as its candidate commuter Kieran McAnulty, who works for the TAB in Wellington. Wellington-based winery owner Alastair Scott will be in the race and expects a competition for the party's Wairarapa nomination.

Former List MP Stuart Nash is the only nominee for Labour's Napier candidacy, although the selection is yet to be confirmed, while the party is also still seeking a candidate in Tukituki.

Businesswoman Anna Lorck, once understood to have been considering a Labour Tukituki tilt, was not prepared to discuss her position last night.

The selection process in the electorate is understood to have been delayed, but electorate chairman Peter Egerton was unable to be contacted for comment last night.