Sweet poll for Wairarapa Labour

PICK 'N MIX: Billy Weepu, behind the camera with Whena Owen, news presenter, and Wairarapa voter Bryan Lambert during the street poll. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

A televised "lolly poll" in Masterton has handed sweet victory to Wairarapa Labour Party candidate Kieran McAnulty, who even managed to cast a chocolate raisin vote himself.

Television news presenter Whena Owen and cameraman Billy Weepu conducted the "highly unscientific yet bizarrely accurate" lolly poll in central Queen St over 90 minutes yesterday.

Ms Owen said the "biggest decision of the day" in the Campbell Live newsroom in Auckland had been the selection of a sweet confection to represent Wairarapa votes.

"We had milk bottles in Manawatu and jet planes in Rongotai and we knew there were grape lollies we could have used for Wairarapa but traditionally it has been a sheep farming area so we went with sheep droppings," she said.

"That in no way denigrates the region because I think a lot of Aucklanders are quite envious of the lifestyle down here."

Ms Owen said 127 votes were cast in the poll - held at a stall near Paper Plus - and Mr McAnulty scored a sheep marble majority, clinching victory with 48 votes compared to his next closest rival, New Zealand First candidate Ron Mark on 29, National Party candidate Alastair Scott on 27, Green Party candidate John Hart on 14, Maori Party candidate Ra Smith on five and Conservative Party candidate Brent Reid trailing the field with four votes.

Other lolly poll results the news team had captured ahead of Saturday's general election include National Party MP Murray McCully, who took East Coast Bays with a flight of sherbet UFOs, jet plane ballots in Rongotai that voted Labour Party MP Annette King in to power, National Party candidate Brett Hudson who took Ohariu in a gummy worm poll and Epsom voters casting giant Jaffas to send National Party list MP Paul Goldsmith to Parliament.

Ms Owen said Wairarapa had been selected for the lolly poll series because the electorate battle in Wairarapa would likely be closely fought.

"We were going to Carterton as well but we didn't in the end and thought we'd get a much fairer and more representative spread if we polled in Masterton alone."

"We decided to do a mini ballot in Wairarapa as an indication of what is, with the late entry of Ron Mark, a very interesting electorate," she said.

"This was in no way a balanced representation, we just wanted to put Wairarapa on the map for our viewers because the race here will be really close and a good one to watch on Saturday."

Mr McAnulty said his vote in the lolly poll was a happy accident after he stumbled across the ballot box while walking Queen St.

His domination of the poll was likely due to his having a "hometown advantage", he said.