Key electorate: Helensville

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Politics is a dirty business. Just look at the seemingly safe National seat of Helensville, where party bickering over selection battles and the influence of president Michelle Boag has been laid bare.

First, retired merchant banker John Key toppled long-serving MP Brian Neeson in an acrimonious selection contest.

Second, Mr Neeson attacked the "Fay Richwhite flavour" of the party under Ms Boag and resigned from National to stand as an independent.

Third, another National contender, airline pilot Ian Lupton, released confidential emails showing the role Ms Boag played in manipulating the candidate selection battle.

Fourth, it was revealed that Mr Key was building a $5 million-plus home in Parnell to be his main residence should he win the seat. He has also bought a house in Waimauku to use as an electorate home.

What effect these events will have on National's 6500 paper majority in the newly created electorate is anyone's guess, but collectively they are damaging to Mr Key, who, at 43 on the party list, has to win to make it to Parliament.

The 40-year-old gave up a career as the London-based global head of foreign exchange for Merrill Lynch and returned to New Zealand last year to pursue a lifelong ambition to be a National MP.

Mr Neeson, 56, has spent the past 18 years living at the home he built in West Harbour. Since 1990 he has stood in whatever electorate his home was in.

He has variously been the MP for Te Atatu, Waitakere, Waipareira and back to Waitakere.

The Labour candidate is Gary Russell, a Waitakere city councillor, a member of mayor Bob Harvey's Team West ticket and a part-time university lecturer.

He is predominantly campaigning on the issue of the west lacking basic infrastructure.

Dail Jones, the National MP for Helensville and Waitemata between 1975 and 1984 and now a lawyer in Kumeu, is standing for New Zealand First because he says the main parties are dithering on Treaty of Waitangi policy.

Helensville is a new seat formed largely from the Waitakere electorate, from which it takes about 39,000 electors. It gains about 8000 from Albany and about 5500 from Rodney.

The seat has a diverse mix of communities, from suburban Massey to rural Helensville and the North Harbour Stadium at Albany.

The biggest local issue this election is how to handle development of the Hobsonville air base land. Both Mr Key and Mr Neeson are opposed to building state housing on the prime waterfront site.

Mr Neeson has highlighted Housing New Zealand's plans and has fought attempts by Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton's job Machine to fast-track Sovereign Yachts setting up there.

But it is the contest between Mr Key and Mr Neeson, rather than the issues, that makes Helensville a seat to watch.

The clean-cut, casually dressed Mr Key is confident of his chances and equally confident that he will be a successful MP.

"This is my prediction. Wrongful portrayal of the kind of person that I am will cost me some votes initially. But I believe, assuming I win the seat, that three years from now this will be the safest National seat in Auckland.

"I think Brian Neeson would like to win but the serious reality is the best he can do is hope to split the vote and embarrass the Nats."

National's northern divisional chairman, Scott Simpson, said Mr Key was destined to not only make a great contribution to Helensville but a great contribution to Auckland and Parliament.

"Brian Neeson worked diligently while he was MP for Waitakere but his contribution to the New Zealand political scene was not terribly great," Mr Simpson said.

For his part, Mr Neeson says he does not hold a grudge for being dumped as part of a cleanout of the party "deadwood" inspired by Ms Boag.

Instead, he feels liberated and buoyed by the strong level of support he has received as the "local" MP.

"Most people understand and instinctively know I had a stick poked in my eye."

Mr Neeson cites Winston Peters, Peter Dunne and Jim Anderton as MPs who have left their parties and survived.

He said that under MMP, electors could vote for him and still vote for National with their party vote.

"National would not lose an MP but Helensville would get another centre-right MP."

Candidates announced so far

Clare Dickson - Progressive Coalition

Dail Jones - NZ First

John Key - National

Helen Mackinlay - Alliance

Brian Neeson - Independent

Gary Russell - Labour

1999 Result: Brian Neeson (National), Majority 4056

1995 Result: Brian Neeson (National), Majority 107


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