National's failure to win the Northland electorate byelection was a red flag that some are fed up with a region in which farmers have occasionally chosen to take their lives rather than continue the struggle to keep their farms.
In Whangarei, much of the talk around next year's election is whether Winston Peters' NZ First Party can complete the double and snatch Northland and Whangarei from National.
Certainly, first termer Dr Shane Reti appears to have done nothing wrong, which means voters will want to know what has gone right for the National member in his first three years in office.
The big question Dr Reti has to answer is "where are the 3000 jobs you promised to create?".
(Window washer jobs at intersections don't count, just in case you are tempted to include them, Dr Reti).
Unlike the ultra-conservative previous National MP Phil Heatley, Dr Reti has embraced controversial issues such as the tourism-arts project, the Hundertwasser Art Centre.
Not only has he openly supported it, he composed a song in its honour which he performed publicly.
As a doctor, he is also suitably qualified to remove any splinters that remain in Mr Heatley's behind, from publicly sitting on the fence over the HAC for many years.
Which brings us back to Mr Key - as Minister of Tourism he has supported the HAC.
He says he has little left in the tank, but it would be great to find something left in the bank to get the HAC funding across the line, before his tenure as an MP ends.
Ahead of an intriguing general election under a new leader, it could be a smart move.
