Labour candidate Mark Hutchinson ‘enormously heartened’ by Napier poll result

Labour's Mark Hutchinson, left, and Katie Nimon of National featured in a Napier electorate debate on Tuesday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Mark Hutchinson’s confident Napier and New Zealand remain up for grabs.

Recent polls haven’t painted the prettiest picture for the Labour Party nationally or in Napier.

This week’s 1 News Verrian poll saw Labour garner just 29 per cent of the party vote, while Tuesday’s Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Curia poll had Labour at 20 per cent in Napier.

Hutchinson was given the Labour nomination for Napier when incumbent Stuart Nash decided not to seek re-election.

His own brand appears stronger than the party one, though, with 28 per cent of the 400 Napier constituents polled picking him as their preferred candidate and 37 per cent able to name him as the Labour candidate.

The National Party is polling at 25 per cent in Napier, with candidate Katie Nimon getting 37 per cent of the candidate vote and having 53 per cent name recognition. Nimon was also National’s nominee in 2020.

Interestingly, 23 per cent of those polled said they were undecided about which party to vote for.

All of which encourages Hutchinson.

A clinical psychologist by trade, who took those skills into the corporate world, the 52-year-old now runs his own Napier-based consultancy firm.

“I think the poll result for us in Napier was fantastic,’’ Hutchinson said.

“I’ve only really been campaigning for six weeks, so I didn’t think I’d be anywhere near 37 per cent name recognition, given that most people have only switched onto the fact there’s an election coming up, so I’m enormously heartened by that given it’s Katie’s second crack at it.

“And, yeah, with the undecideds, the election’s very much up for grabs, especially here in Napier.’’

Nimon agrees.

“Honestly, it reflects what I’m getting at the door and that’s great,’' Nimon said of the correlation between the poll and her experiences on the hustings.

“People want a change of government and interestingly, yes, there’s a big chunk of undecided voters, but a lot of those people I’m talking to know they’re not voting for Labour. They’re just keen to know what National’s going to do for them before they decide who to vote for.’'

One revealing aspect of the poll was that only 39 per cent of people who voted for Labour in 2020 said they would do so again.

Hutchinson and Nimon went head-to-head in a televised debate on Tuesday night, where health and roading were among the topics. The two go hand-in-glove, in Hutchinson’s view.

The much-talked-about Hawke’s Bay Expressway expansion to four lanes is part of that, given Napier residents need safe, reliable access to hospital care in Hastings.

The Government announced recently that State Highway 2, between the two cities, has been included as a road of national significance, meaning work will begin on it at some point.

“The bottom line is we’ve funded it. It’s been promised before, but it’s never been funded,’’ said Hutchinson.

Whether that sways undecided voters remains to be seen.

“The intention at this stage is to carry out a business case next year, which will identify the best solutions for the expressway and costs will be determined through that business case,’’ Waka Kotahi regional manager of design Sarah Downs said.

“We would also anticipate some pre-implementation works, such as detailed design and consenting, to begin the following year.’’