Election 2023: Labour deputy Kelvin Davis will likely quit politics if he doesn’t win Te Tai Tōkerau

Te Tai Tōkerau MP Kelvin Davis.

Labour Party deputy leader Kelvin Davis says if he doesn’t retain Te Tai Tōkerau, it’s haere rā.

Davis said if Labour doesn’t win on Saturday, there’s still work to do in Opposition as a constituent MP - even though the real change comes from being a minister.

But without the support of the constituents there’s no point in hanging around.

“If I don’t win the Tai Tōkerau seat, that’s Te Tai Tōkerau saying ‘Kelvin, thanks but you’ve done your time,’ and I’ll move on and look at other things and allow whoever is successful to have free rein but my preference is to still be there and still have the mandate of the people,” Davis said.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

According to the Whakaata Māori poll, Davis is well ahead of Te Pāti Māori candidate Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Green candidate Huhana Lyndon.

Te Tai Tōkerau has been an electorate of twists and turns.

The electorate was created out of the Northern Māori electorate ahead of the first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election in 1996 and was first held by New Zealand First candidate Tau Henare for just one term before he lost it to Dover Samuels, who held it for Labour for two terms.

From 2005 to 2014, the seat was held by Hone Harawira. Initially a member of the Māori Party, Harawira resigned from the party and Parliament, causing the 2011 byelection. He was returned under the Mana Party banner in July 2011 and confirmed at the November 2011 general election.

Harawira was beaten by Davis in 2014, ending the representation of the Mana Party in Parliament.

Davis has held the seat ever since and looks likely to retain Te Tai Tokerau in 2023.

Additional reporting Waatea.New.Com