Botany - the byelection everyone forgot

John Key was in Botany yesterday to provide support for National candidate Jami-Lee Ross before tomorrow's byelection. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The Botany byelection is summed up by an elderly lady who approached National candidate Jami-Lee Ross outside a local supermarket.

"Have you packed your bags?" she asked, referring to the widely held expectation that the 25-year-old will romp home easily tomorrow and become Parliament's youngest MP.

Mr Ross knows better than to declare success before the deal is done. He smiles and repeats his well-rehearsed line of taking nothing for granted.

"I bet you've already packed your bags," the woman repeats as she walks off.

Mr Ross has been campaigning hard, but he is hardly setting the world on fire, and probably doesn't need to.

The National party had a 11,397-vote advantage over Labour in Botany in the 2008 general election, and it would be a complete shock if he lost.

This week, at the opening of Ormiston Senior College, he resembled a sleepy giant - Mr Ross is quiet, and very tall - as he dutifully followed Prime Minister John Key around.

Meanwhile, Labour candidate Michael Wood visited the Manukau Institute of Technology, where he struck a chord with many people. Trouble was, most of them, like Mr Wood, did not live in Botany and cannot vote tomorrow.

Mr Wood was still trying, flexing his smiling muscles and endlessly shaking hands, even though he effectively conceded defeat before the race began when he told the Central Leader: "I'm not going to be able to win as a Labour candidate."

He did not regret the comments.

"I could have come out with some sort of pat line about that issue, but we were just honest that it was going to be a difficult electorate for Labour to win," he said.

"You don't necessarily expect a miracle. All you can do is control what you're doing, so we're campaigning day in day out."

Mr Wood is driving around the electorate in his Mazda Familia, with megaphones on the roof and decorated with red streamers that look as tired and tattered as his car. But he remains undeterred. "There are a lot of middle-income earners who are feeling the pinch."

Act candidate Lyn Murphy said her campaigning had brought her into people's homes. "I've had more cups of tea than you could ever imagine.

"Some of the things they've said about the National person [are] not very good. They don't want someone so young. They don't want someone who's going to be on the backbenches for the next nine years."

Ms Murphy is at odds with her party on early childhood education policy as she supports funding for centres that have 100 per cent fully qualified teachers.

"I did not like that. I believe in full funding ... and I believe I'll be able to talk my party around on that one."

SNAPSHOT OF SEAT

2008 election result:
* National, 61 per cent
* Labour, 25 per cent
* Act, 5 per cent
* Voter turnout: 76 per cent

Electorate:
* 49 per cent of people born overseas
* 33.5 per cent of people from Asia