Bay of Plenty election result: National’s Tom Rutherford claims victory

Bay of Plenty preliminary results:

• VOTES COUNTED: 37,191, 98.9%
• LEADING CANDIDATE: Tom Rutherford, 19,589
• 2nd CANDIDATE: Pare Taikato, 6,438
• CURRENT MARGIN: 13,151
• PARTY VOTE LEAD: National Party 47.64%
• 2nd PARTY: Labour Party 17.58%

“It’s a nice blue, National Party evening.”

That’s how first-time National Party candidate Tom Rutherford announced his victory in the Bay of Plenty electorate to supporters at the Omanu Golf Club in Mount Maunganui tonight.

The room erupted with cheers and the first-time candidate was given a standing ovation.

With 37,191 of the votes counted, prelimnary results showed Rutherford had 19,589 votes compared to 6,438 for Pare Taikato. Act’s Cameron Luxton gained 3444 votes.

Rutherford thanked his partner Hannah Ralph and his family after claiming victory.

He was asked to ring the club’s gold bell but joked: “It’s not my round”.

Rutherford told the crowd he was looking forward to the next three years and wanted to thank the “amazing community I call home”.

”It’s a huge privilege. I was born and raised here; it is an incredible place to live.”

He paid credit to the relentless support of his volunteers and those who helped him to victory.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times, Rutherford said in the morning he would be cheering on the All Blacks for a win against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup.

Sitting at a table with four of his friends, who were full of smiles, he planned to be at Pāpāmoa outside PaknSave at about 10am with a sign he had made to say thank you to voters.

”I think it’s really important because they’ve put their trust in me to be the local representative.”

Then he was heading to Pearl Kitchen to unwind before “I get to work”.

He expected to travel to Wellington on Monday but that was yet to be confirmed.

”I think they sort of run a little bit of an orientation for the new MPs. You get to find your way around, understand where your offices are, and learn the tricks of the trade on how the place operates.”

Rutherford said his team ran a really strong grassroots campaign in the Bay and he knocked on more than 6000 doors, visited many businesses and attended events.

Tom Rutherford.

”We took nothing for granted and met as many people as possible and listened to the issues that were really important to them. Then put forward our case as to why the National Party was the party to get our country back on track.”

Earlier in the evening, Rutherford’s message to naysayers who might question his age and experience was, “Don’t judge me before you know me.”

At age 26, he is the youngest National Party candidate and took the early lead in the race for the Bay of Plenty electorate.

Rutherford told supporters he had been mentored by former National MP Tony Ryall who also took the Bay of Plenty seat at age 26.

“I’ve had incredible support from incredible mentors with a lot of people looking out for me.

Rutherford, a communications executive, was chosen to represent the Bay of Plenty electorate following the retirement of MP and former National leader Todd Muller.

Rutherford had worked for Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell, a former National Party East Coast candidate, at Rotorua Lakes Council.

Tonight supporter Allan Jones said Rutherford was carrying on the traditions of the National Party.

“We may be a party that is supported by old people but the work is being done by the young people who are the future.”

Kaden Oliver, who has been friends with Rutherford for about 10 years, said he liked the fact he was a “straight shooter”.

”He is firm and stands up for what he believes in and is very well-spoken”.

Ruherford’s mum Sharon Nightingale, who was also the National Party Bay of Plenty events manager, said her son had given 110 per cent.

”I’m very pleased for him and how he has connected with the electorate.

He was following his passion, she said.

National Party Bay of Plenty chairman Mike Chapman said Rutherford had “stunning, enormous potential” and the whole electorate has got behind him including more than 200 volunteers.

”They have gone the extra mile.”

Taikato, who was with Labour supporters at Whareroa marae said the results marked the beginning and not the end of her political aspirations.

She said she was chuffed with her result as a first-time candidate and had exceeded her own expectations. She hoped to close the gap next time if she was the Labour candidate again.

Taikato was selected as the Labour candidate for the Bay of Plenty after Angie Warren-Clark announced she would be standing for election in Whangārei.

Labour candidates Jan Tinetti and Pare Taikato.

Earlier, she said the campaign had been “interesting” and “multi-layered”.

”Parts of it have been enjoyable, parts really challenging, but overall a positive experience.”

Taikato said some of her hoardings had been damaged, some “chucked into swampland”.

Asked if she had encountered racism in the campaign, Taikato said there had been questions at candidate events about co-governance and Te Tiriti which had “been driven by a racist ideology”.

Labour Party event attendee Derek Jackson had said the early results were “not looking great” for Labour.

He said it looked like National and Act would be able to govern on their own by forming a coalition “which I don’t think is very good for the country moving forward”.

Jackson referred to their promise to repeal the Three Waters Reform. ”We’ll hope. The Labour vote can come up at the end as we’ve known - I’ll always remember the 2005 election.”

National Party supporters Viv and Allan Jones.

The Bay of Plenty had an assortment of minor party candidates to choose from as well as one independent, Zakaria Wahed (Taupō), who worked in the Kiwifruit industry.

Cameron Luxton stood again for the Act Party as its candidate for the Bay of Plenty electorate.

The Green Party was represented by Matthew Macmillan, a local business owner.

Kirsten Murfitt, a business owner and a lawyer, represnted New Zealand First.

Wendy Gillespie was the candidate for the Leighton Baker Party. Caitlin Grattan was the candidate for the newly formed Animal Justice Party.

At the 2020 election, Muller was victorious for a third term for National and won the Bay of Plenty seat by a margin of 3415 votes from Warren-Clark.