The Front Page: Labour and National to duke it out in by-election battle

Former Labour Party member Gaurav Sharma is running as an independent. Photo / NZME

The residents of Hamilton West will soon be heading to the polls.

A byelection was sparked last month after Labour’s Dr Gaurav Sharma resigned from Parliament, following weeks of allegations against his former party.

Labour will be hoping to hold onto the seat, while National is eager to get an early win against its old political foe.

Speaking to The Front Page podcast, NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says both parties are casting themselves as the underdog at the moment.

“It’s quite odd to see both parties play down their chances,” says Pearse.

“National see themselves as the underdog simply because Labour won the seat in 2020, which is fair enough but it ignores the history of the seat having being held by [National’s] Tim MacIndoe since 2008.”

Meanwhile, Labour has pointed to the messy departure of Sharma as having a major impact on their chances of winning the seat again.

As the things stand, the political tussle will likely come down to a two-horse race between National’s Tama Potaka and Labour’s Georgie Dansey, but Pearse says we should be careful about discounting the other contenders too fast.

• So who else is running?
• How much will this byelection cost?
• What issues are likely to determine the winner?
• Who needs this win the most between National and Labour?
• Does Sharma have a realistic possibility of winning?
• And is this byelection the dress rehearsal for the general election next year?

Listen to today’s edition of The Front Page with Damien Venuto for the answers to these questions.