Special votes bring in another Northlander Angie Warren-Clark

New MP Angie Warren-Clark speaks at a Labour Party meeting in Tauranga ahead of the election. Photo/George Novak

Northland's already formidable presence in the new Parliament has been further boosted after a former head girl at Okaihau College won a seat when special votes were counted.

At No 46 on the party list, Labour's Angie Warren-Clark had been on the cusp of entering Parliament. When special votes cast overseas and by people enrolling on the day they voted were added to the election night tally, both Labour and the Greens gained an MP while National lost two.

Mrs Warren-Clark brings to at least 15 the number of MPs directly elected from Northland or with strong links to the region.

She was born in Murupara but moved to Mangamuka in Northland when she was four. She attended Umawera School until her family moved to Utakura in South Hokianga and she switched to Okaihau Primary. She completed her education in Okaihau, becoming head girl and the student rep on the college board of trustees in 1989.

She moved to Hamilton for her tertiary education and then to the Bay of Plenty, where she has managed Tauranga Women's Refuge for the past four years.

Mrs Warren-Clark, who has degrees in law and social sciences, said her ties to Northland remained strong with a sister in Whangarei, brother in Opua, mother in Kaikohe and father in Kaitaia.

"All my family is in Northland and it's where I grew up. You never forget your roots," she said.

Her catalyst for entering politics was 15 years of working with victims of domestic violence. She hoped to put that experience to use in Parliament with homelessness, home and rent affordability, health and education among her other priorities.

Mrs Warren-Clark gained 11,356 votes to National candidate Todd Muller's 25,352 in the safe blue seat of Bay of Plenty.

The 52nd New Zealand Parliament now includes electorate MPs Kelvin Davis (Labour, Te Tai Tokerau), Matt King (National, Northland) and Shane Reti (National, Whangarei), while Winston Peters (NZ First), Willow-Jean Prime (Labour) and Shane Jones (NZ First) won seats thanks to high placings on their party lists.

Labour's Peeni Henare, grandson of Maori Battalion commander James Henare, won the Tamaki Makaurau seat but hails from Motatau; Green list MP Marama Davidson, daughter of actor Rawiri Paratene, is from the Hokianga; Jenny Marcroft, No 9on the NZ First list, has links to Utakura; and Labour MPs Nanaia Mahuta (Hauraki-Waikato), Rino Tirikatene (Te Tai Tonga), Adrian Rurawhe (Te Tai Hauauru) and Kiritapu Allen (East Coast) all whakapapa back to Northland. Even Act's Epsom MP David Seymour claims descent from Bay of Islands hapu Ngati Rehia.

Special votes were not enough to bring in NZ First members Pita Paraone from Motatau (No 11 on the list) or Ria Bond, who lives in Invercargill but is also originally from Motatau (No 12).