KEY POINTS:
Veteran broadcaster Derek Fox will this afternoon be named as the Maori Party's candidate for the eastern seat of Ikaroa Rawhiti, held by Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia.
Mr Fox beat a field of four women, including the 2005 candidate and Gisborne District Councillor Atareta Poananga, after a
series of voting hui that finished last night in Wainuiomata.
The executive council of the party is expected to confirm the result later this afternoon.
Ms Poananga is thought to have come second in the voting though a long way behind Mr Fox.
The other three contenders were Mereana Pittman, Keriana Tawhiwhirangi and Glenis Philip-Barbara.
The Maori Party has four of the seven Maori electoate seats and beating Mr Horomia would be huge trophy for party.
Mr Fox, with a national profile, is the party's best bet for doing that but Mr Horomia is a very popular MP.
It will not be the first time the pair have faced off. Mr Fox stood as an independent against Mr Horomia in 1999, which was Mr Horomia's first election, and came within 695 votes.
Mr Fox made moves to set up his own Maori party in 2001 but was diverted when the Government asked him to take a leading role in setting up Maori Television.
Atareta Poananga reduced Mr Horomia's majority from 10,359 to 1932 in the last election.
Mr Fox is the only new Maori Party candidate in the Maori seats. The Maori Party holds four and Labour three. The Maori Party vs Labour candidates (with encumbent MP first) will be:
Te Tai Tokerau: Maori Party, Hone Harawira; Labour, Kelvin Davis.
Tamaki Makaurau: Maori Party Pita Sharples; Labour, Louisa Wall.
Hauraki-Waikato: Labour Nanai Mahuta: Maori Party, Angeline Greensill
Te Tai Hauauru: Maori Party, Tariana Turia; Maori Party Errol Mason.
Waiariki: Maori Party, Te Ururoa Flavell; Labour, Mita Ririnui.
Ikaroa Rawhiti: Labour, Parekura Horomia; Maori Party, Derek Fox.
Te Tai Tonga: Labour Mahara Okeroa; Maori Party, Monty Ohia.
Mr David and Louisa Wall are the two new candidates for Labour, the former replacing Dover Samuels and the latter John Tamihere as candidates.
A Marae DigiPoll survey last week indicated that the Maori Party could take all seven Maori seats. The numbers in the electorate breakdown are small, so the results are indicative only.
But the same poll at the same point before the 2005 election picked six of the seven Maori seats and it has reliably tacked significant swings among maori voters to New Zealand First, back to Labour and then to the Maori Party.