Council byelection as Mitchell heads for Beehive

Tauranga's newest MP Clayton Mitchell with wife Erika and children Jazmin, 8, Oliver, 6, and William, 3. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga has a new MP as well-known bar owner and newly elected city councillor Clayton Mitchell sheds local politics for the Beehive.

NZ First Tauranga candidate Mr Mitchell has become a list MP after the party gained 11 seats and 9 per cent of the vote in this year's general election at the weekend.

Mr Mitchell is sixth on the list.

The new role means Mr Mitchell will step down from his councillor's role which he only filled last year, forcing a by-election for the Mount Maunganui and Papamoa seat.

The by-election is expected to cost about $70,000 but Mr Mitchell is unapologetic.

"The reality is I made it very clear I would be happy to stay on in council as well as in Parliament, if I made it.

"It's a position of passion, not payment," he said.

"That appeased some people but there was still some conjecture around doing the two jobs."

A referendum asking Tauranga residents what they preferred resulted in about 77 per cent of respondents wanting Mr Mitchell to stick with only one job, he said.

Mr Mitchell said he chose central Government because he felt the city would be better served. It is expected he would continue in the councillor's role for about two to three weeks before he is sworn into Parliament.

"Tauranga is the jewel in the crown, it really is.

"We are increasingly getting more expansive. We need the right people fighting for us as a city."

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters traditionally received a strong following in Tauranga but Mr Mitchell said he was surprised and "absolutely humbled" at the level of support he received himself.

Mr Mitchell gained 5441 votes, bringing him second out of 11 in line for Tauranga's seat following Simon Bridges, who won by a landslide 18,967 votes.

Mr Mitchell said while he "wasn't throwing stones" there had been little support for Tauranga from the Beehive.

"The reality is I am very, very passionate to continue my quest to get Rena off our reef, get tolls off Route K, continue to get exit roads for Papamoa east residents in an emergency and we would like to get a performance facility going here locally. There's so much locally that we need to fight for," he said.

Mr Mitchell said although he spent less than a year in Tauranga City Council, "we've made some massive, positive change".

He referred to a $62.5 million saving after getting the Government to take off Route K debt.

"I'm very passionate about the city I live in," he said.

Mr Mitchell shares his win with Rotorua economist and educator Fletcher Tabuteau, who will represent Rotorua as a New Zealand First list MP.