Meet the candidates

The race is on: The National Party's Tania Tapsell, Labour's Kiri Allan and the Greens' Meredith Akuhata-Brown at a meet the candidates meeting at Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club last night. Picture supplied

The race to replace National's retiring East Coast MP Anne Tolley has started for real with the electorate's first meet the candidate being held last night.

National candidate Tania Tapsell, Labour candidate and list MP Kiri Allan and Green Party candidate Meredith Akuhata-Brown attended the meeting organised by BPW (Business and Professional Women) Gisborne and held at Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club.

Ms Allan told The Gisborne Herald earlier in the day that three young Maori women standing against each other showed the diversity of the electorate, with women from different walks of life working hard to earn the respect of voters.

She had been working hard for some years on behalf of the electorate, she said.

Ms Akuhata-Brown said “any government was healthier with Greens”.

Her party wanted to move faster and further on equality, the environment and climate change.

Ms Tapsell, speaking before National's new leader Judith Collins was selected later last night, said the party had the policies and talented candidates to win the election, and a record of prudent economic management.