A woman who stood unsuccessfully for a seat on the Hastings District Council last year is now one of four people contesting the area's Tukituki seat in Parliament.
While nominations don't open until next week, Melanie Petrowski has been confirmed as the ONE party candidate, up against National Party MP and second-term hopeful Lawrence Yule, Labour Party candidate Anna Lorck and Green Party challenger Chris Perley.
Petrowski, 44, grew up in Flaxmere, and her bid for one of the ward's seats on the council was her first foray into election campaigning.
Having left Hawke's Bay at the age of 18, she spent three years training in the air force in Auckland, and ultimately worked in the area for about 20 years.
During the council campaign last year, she told of how she had returned to Hawke's Bay to live in Hastings in 2015 and became worried about boy-racers in the suburb, and safety on the roads and in the streets. She also called for improved water quality, and had concerns for affordable housing, poverty and other social issues.