Three National Party candidates will battle it out for the right to square off against Labour's Stuart Nash (and others) to claim the Napier parliamentary seat Chris Tremain is about to vacate.
Tremain, who has been a minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Key, decided to step downfrom politics and this has opened the way for a fierce battle between Labour and National for what could turn out to be an important seat to win.
The National Party this week chose three people to fight for the party nomination. Wayne Walford is the larger-than-life chief executive of the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce, but he has some political pedigree. He was campaign manager for Bob Clarkson when he famously took the Tauranga seat away from Winston Peters in the 2005 elections.
Adrienne Pierce has been on the Hastings District Council for only a few months, but has also thrown her hat in the ring. It is an interesting decision since she is based in Havelock North, but she wouldn't be standing if she did not rate her chances.
The third person is Deborah Burnside, a Taradale businesswoman, who I understand was approached by the party to put her name forward.
Whoever gets the National nod will have his or her work cut out against Nash - all but confirmed as Labour's candidate. Having been beaten by Tremain last time, Nash is hungry for victory. He has had a bit of a free run over the last few months as he has been the only person associated with the seat, but he has also been working hard to raise his public profile.
He says he wants a clean fight, but either way it is shaping up to be an interesting contest.
