Editorial: Reid's beaten the odds before

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

If Hadleigh Reid succeeds in his ambition to be the National Party candidate for the Whanganui electorate - and, indeed, makes it into Parliament - it will be quite a feat.

The odds are, of course, against him but as he showed at last October's local body elections, he is capable of upstaging the political pundits.

With a lower profile than many of the 33 candidates (although the best reputation for good teeth) and a limited election campaign, he polled 9265 votes, putting him way clear of any other contender.

And the remarkable thing was that in the weeks leading up to ballot box day, he was on a Mercy Ship off Africa - 16,000 kilometres away from the heat of the political battle - providing free dental treatment to those in need.

In fact, he didn't get back to Whanganui to check the results until three days after the polls closed.

I was among those baffled by his success - so much so that I dubbed him "The man who wasn't there" on the front page of the Chronicle.

Since October, he has settled into his council role well, but should he gain the National Party's nomination that will mean a by-election to fill his vacant seat - a heads-up to Ray Stevens, Rory Smith and Steve Baron who just missed the cut three months ago.

Whanganui voters face the prospect of two new contenders from the major parties when new PM Bill English sends the country to the polls some time this year.

With National's sitting MP Chester Borrows leaving Parliament to re-ignite his legal career, possibly overseas, and Labour stalwart Hamish McDouall now wearing the mayoral chain, it will be fresh meat on the electoral slab, and all to play for.

National may already have a prospective candidate in their ranks elsewhere in the country whom they would be pushing for the "safe-ish" Whanganui seat, but the local support that Mr Reid has been able to engender certainly gives him a fighting chance.