Candidates at last night's meeting were also united in their view that the Government needed to be changed.
The National Party, along with its potential right-wing support parties -- including Act and the Conservatives -- do not have candidates standing in Ikaroa Rawhiti.
The meeting was a contrast to a similar Meet the Candidates meeting in Hastings last week for the Tukituki electorate.
United we stand, Govt must go: Hopefuls
I'm not here to fill the numbers. I'm not here to say the right things to the right people. I'm here to make a change.Henare Kani, Green PartyOn that occasion, tensions were high between political opponents and there was heckling from the audience.
"We would happily work with any of these guys," said Mana Party candidate Te Hamua Nikora, referring to the other candidates at the meeting.
"There is real love and aroha here for being able to change what is happening to our people," said Maori Party candidate Marama Fox.
She said her party would work with whichever parties made up the Government after the election on September 20.
"We believe we need an independent voice for Maori that is not constrained by party policy that does not support Maori," she said.
The Green Party's Henare Kani said he was standing for Parliament because he wanted to help Maori in the electorate reach their potential.
"I'm not here to fill the numbers. I'm not here to say the right things to the right people. I'm here to make a change."
Independent candidate Cathryn Eden said she was standing "for one thing only -- for us to change the banking system. It is the biggest deception that has gone on for hundreds of years. I'm not in competition with anyone. I just want to get this message out."
The other candidate in the electorate, Vicky Rose of The Expats did not attend.
Asked by Hawke's Bay Today editor and meeting moderator Andrew Austin to name the most pressing social need in the electorate, Ms Whaitiri said it was housing. She said every family deserved a warm and dry home.
Ms Fox agreed housing was a major issue, and said Labour had sold state houses.
Mr Nikora said ensuring children were fed was important "because when the kids go to school hungry, the kids don't learn".
Mr Kani said the Greens would also provide free lunches at low decile schools.
Ms Eden said low self-confidence and low self-esteem were major issues for Maori.
A Meet the Napier Candidates meeting will be held at Napier Intermediate School at 6pm tonight.
Nikora tops straw poll
Mana candidate Te Hamua Nikora was judged the best speaker in an unscientific straw poll of people attending a Hawke's Bay Today Meet the Ikaroa-Rawhiti Candidates debate in Flaxmere last night.
The meeting, held at Irongate School, was run in conjunction with NewstalkZB.
Everybody was given a voting paper to indicate who they thought gave the best performance in the debate. Out of 81 votes, Mr Nikora received 27 votes.
Current MP and Labour candidate Meka Whaitiri was second with 23, while the Maori Party's Marama Fox scored 18.
Independent candidate Cathryn Eden received 10 votes, while the Green Party's Henare Kani got two. One paper was spoiled.
The Expats candidate Vicky Rose did not attend the debate.
• A gold-coin donation entry raised about $70 for the Hawke's Bay Breast Cancer Trust.
