On the Campaign, October 3: What you missed on the election campaign today

Green Party list MP Ricardo Menéndez March is challenging hard in Mt Albert, a traditionally Labour seat held by two former prime ministers. Photo / Sylvie Whinray RGP 22Oct22 - BTG 22Oct22 - NAG 22Oct22 -

During the 2020 general election, one of the biggest surprises on election night was when Chlöe Swarbrick snatched Auckland Central for the Greens, the first electorate the party had won in two decades.

Now the party is hoping to turn a traditional Labour stronghold this election – but holding on to their current seat could prove as difficult as winning the seat of two former prime ministers.

NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson told On the Campaign, the Herald’s daily election podcast, that the Greens were campaigning hard for Mt Albert. The seat has always been held by Labour, with Helen Clark representing it from 1981 to 2008, with Dame Jacinda Ardern the most recent MP before her resignation earlier this year.

Helen White is running to replace Ardern and, while Wilson said she was the favourite, there was a strong challenge from Green Party list MP Ricardo Menéndez March.

“The Green Party have identified Mt Albert as one of the four seats they have a good chance of winning,” Wilson said, with the others being Auckland Central, Wellington Central and Rongotai.

He said the vote split in Mt Albert could lead to a surprise win for National’s candidate, Melissa Lee, but voters would need to decide what kind of representation they wanted, having become used to Labour’s top people running in their seat.

“[White] is well regarded in the party but, if Labour was to be part of the next government, she is not expected to be a Cabinet post or anything like that, so it’s a different kind of representation.

“Menéndez March, this will be his third term in Parliament, so he is becoming one of the more senior Green people now, so he’s probably a higher flyer.”

Mt Albert sits right next door to Auckland Central, but Wilson said it would be a challenge for both seats to be Green after the election, with White currently still the favourite while Swarbrick faces a tough challenge from National’s Mahesh Muralidhar.

At least one poll currently shows the two are quite close, with Labour’s Oscar Sims trailing in third.

“The interesting thing is, will the Labour voters recognise that, in order to keep National out, they will need to transfer their vote to Chlöe Swarbrick in this seat.”

Listen to the full episode of On the Campaign for the full rundown of today’s big election stories.

On the Tiles is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are available evenings every weekday.