Battle is on for Ikaroa Rāwhiti

Labour’s Cushla Tangaere-Manuel and Te Pāti Māori’s Meka Whaitiri are going head to head for the Ikaroa Rāwhiti Māori electorate at this year’s general election. A poll has Tangaere-Manuel ahead but 29 percent of those polled were undecided. Picture supplied

The Māori electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is anyone’s game with a third of voters yet to choose their candidate.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti was flung open when former Labour minister Meka Whaitiri switched to Te Pāti Māori in May.

A Whakaata Māori exclusive poll has revealed Labour’s newcomer, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, has an eight-point lead over Whaitiri.

But the field is still wide open with 29 percent of those polled still undecided on which candidate they will choose.

Vision NZ candidate, Ata Tuhakaraina, is yet to make the leaderboard.

The poll, conducted by Curia Market Research, was completed on Tuesday and places Tangaere-Manuel at 33 percent and Whaitiri on 25 percent.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti has been a Labour stronghold since it was established in 1999.

If undecided voters follow Whaitiri, she will be the first non-Labour MP in the electorate’s 24-year history.

But Labour loyalty may put Tangaere-Manuel over the line as a first-time candidate.

The former Ngāti Porou East Coast Rugby Union chief executive isn’t on the Labour Party List and must win to enter Parliament.

The Whakaata Māori poll revealed Labour is still the preferred party at 33 percent, ahead of Te Pāti Māori on 24 percent.

But Te Pāti Māori is gaining ground among younger voters, with 39 percent support from those aged 18–39 compared to Labour’s 24 percent.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti covers the entire eastern side of the North Island from the East Cape to Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and down to Hutt Valley. It includes some of the worst-hit areas of this year’s Cyclone Gabrielle.

Poll respondents identified cost of living as their leading issue at 23 percent, followed by the economy and employment, both on 9 percent.

Males cared about employment whereas females were more concerned with health and housing.

Whakaata Māori released the poll results during a live debate with Tangaere-Manuel and Whaitiri from its new studio, Hawaikirangi, in East Tāmaki.

More exclusive polling will be released across its special election debates of the Māori electorates.

A total of 500 registered voters in each electorate were polled by Curia Market Research by landline, mobile and online, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.