Tukituki candidate Catherine Wedd (left), Napier candidate Katie Nimon and National leader Christopher Luxon in Napier on Friday. Photo / Paul Taylor
Tukituki candidate Catherine Wedd (left), Napier candidate Katie Nimon and National leader Christopher Luxon in Napier on Friday. Photo / Paul Taylor
National’s Napier candidate Katie Nimon says she will not be happy entering Parliament as a list MP after being given a high ranking on the party list.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon unveiled the party’s list on Saturday ahead of the October general election.
Both Nimon (the Napier candidate) and Catherine Wedd (the Tukituki candidate) ranked highly on that 74-person list at 22nd and 23rd respectively, despite looking to become first-time MPs.
That put them ahead of some existing National MPs.
It means they both have a good chance of entering Parliament as list MPs even if they do not win their electorates on October 14.
Labour’s Napier candidate Mark Hutchinson (who is ranked 60 on Labour’s list) congratulated his opponent on the announcement.
“It’s pleasing to see Katie Nimon attain a high enough list ranking to ensure she will make it to Parliament, whatever happens in the Napier electorate,” he said.
“That means if I’m given the privilege to represent Napier as your MP, Katie will be joining me in Wellington as a second MP based here.
“We have some major challenges ahead of us as a region, so the more voices for Napier in Parliament - including within the National Party caucus - the better.”
Nimon said she was “thrilled” to be given a high ranking but would not settle for being a list MP.
The 32-year-old said the job “everyone wants” is to be the electorate MP.
“That is the job that is the constituency representative for Napier. You don’t get two. List MPs end up with jobs all around the country,” she said.
“I want to make sure I am representing the electorate. That is what I am here to do.”
Nimon stated she said something very similar to Hutchinson three years ago, when running against Stuart Nash. “It’s textbook,” she said.
Meka Whaitiri is ranked at number three on Te Pāti Māori's party list.
Wedd also said she was “thrilled with the confidence and backing” from the party with regard to her high ranking.
However, much like Nimon, she said her focus was on winning and representing the Tukituki electorate.
“My focus remains totally on representing the people of Tukituki and being a strong electorate MP.”
She said the high rankings for her and Nimon showed “how focused National is on Hawke’s Bay”.
Meanwhile, Anna Lorck (the incumbent Tukituki MP) is ranked 40th on Labour’s party list, and Labour’s Cushla Tangaere-Manuel is an electorate-only candidate running for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.
With regard to other parties currently in Parliament, Act has candidates Rob Douglas (Tukituki) at 16th and Pawel Milewski (Napier) at 36th on their list; the Green Party has Nick Ratcliffe (Tukituki) at 25th and no candidate in Napier; and Te Pāti Māori has Meka Whaitiri (Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) at number three on its list.
