Labour List MP Jan Tinetti says she's buzzing with excitement. Photo / George Novak
Labour List MP Jan Tinetti says she's buzzing with excitement. Photo / George Novak
Jan Tinetti may have lost a seat she never expected to win, but by the way she's "buzzing" with excitement you'd think she'd won it.
The former Merivale School principal will return to Parliament for a second term on Labour's list and said she would be happy with any jobshe was assigned.
"That's above my pay grade, that sort of decision, and I'll be waiting to see what the Prime Minister has in store for us and I will be happy with whatever she decides."
In the previous Government, she was deputy chairperson of the Education and Workforce Select Committee.
"I am just happy to be there and be there for Tauranga."
With National MPs Simon Bridges and Todd Muller holding the Tauranga and Bay of Plenty electorate seats plus Tinetti and Papamoa-based colleague Angie Warren-Clark entering Parliament on the list, she said Tauranga was very well served.
"The more the better. We do, locally, have a very strong voice in Parliament."
On Saturday afternoon, before the results started rolling in, the 52-year-old was just hoping to make some inroads into National's traditional big lead in what was considered a safe blue seat.
But by the end of the night, having seen that margin slashed to a quarter of what it was in 2017, she was issuing a warning to the opposition party: "Look out, we're on our way."
By Sunday, she was even happier, having started the day replying to screeds of messages of congratulations.
"I'm really, really excited about the opportunity we've been given, because even though we haven't been given the seat ... we've been given a really strong mandate from the country.
"I'm just buzzing."
Jan Tinetti had a jubilant evening with family and supporters at the Tauranga Fish and Dive Club. Photo / George Novak
She said her top priority was sitting down with local council leaders and looking at the infrastructure, health and education priorities in particular.
On a nationwide scale, she said she had some things she wanted to achieve in education that she believed would have a big impact in Tauranga, including in the area of alternative education.
After a battle with breast cancer a year ago, she was also relieved by how her health had held up on the campaign trail.
Tinetti said she was so grateful to her volunteers and supporters, and without them, the win would not have been possible.
