Prime's future in parliament: Little

Labour leader Andrew Little says he will do his best to get Northland candidate Willow-Jean Prime into Parliament as soon as possible.

Labour Leader Andrew Little has promised he will do all he can to get Northland candidate Willow-Jean Prime into Parliament as soon as possible.

Mrs Prime finished a distant third in Saturday's byelection after Mr Little gave party supporters the nod to vote for NZ First Leader Winston Peters.

She said she felt no bitterness over the party's decision because she understood many Northlanders wanted to send a message to the Government. She had continued her campaign regardless, focusing on issues such as unemployment, to ensure the byelection did not focus only on personalities.

Mrs Prime planned to put her name forward for the 2017 election but had received no assurances from the party about list placings or being chosen as candidate because she still had to go through the formal selection process.

National's loss was due to a combination of factors, she said.

They included unanswered questions about who knew what and when about former National MP Mike Sabin's resignation, and the $1 million cost of a byelection so soon after the 2014 election; an inexperienced, little-known candidate; a campaign Northlanders saw as a desperate scramble to retain the seat; and "the Winston factor".

Mr Little, who joined Mrs Prime's supporters on Saturday night at the Klondike Tavern in Kawakawa, denied throwing his candidate under a bus. The party's advice to voters to think strategically reflected the reality of polls pointing to Labour finishing a distant third.

"It was evident early on that people wanted to signal to the government that they are sick and tired of being overlooked. It was clear Winston Peters was going to make a splash and there was a sense of disgruntlement in the electorate," he said.

He could not guarantee Mrs Prime's list placing in 2017 but had made a personal commitment to do his best to get her into Parliament.

She was a "future face for Labour" who was articulate and walked comfortably in both Maori and Pakeha worlds. She had a down-to-earth way of connecting with people but well-honed professional skills as well, Mr Little said.

National's campaign appeared to have been run out of the party's central office and only underscored Northlanders' sense of being left behind, he said. Mr Little did not think tacitly endorsing Mr Peters had affected Labour's credibility. People would see that as being realistic, he said.

Mrs Prime said the end of the campaign did not mean a chance to rest. She had Far North District Council meetings this week, a report on her PhD in law due on Wednesday, as well as a nine-week-old baby, Hihana, to look after. "My life will be a little less busy, but still very busy," she said.