New MPs: Chris Tremain

Chris Tremain

New Napier MP Chris Tremain's All Black father Kel once gave him some invaluable advice about being in the limelight.

"When you walk down the street, you need to smile at everybody and look everyone in the eye."

Campaigning full-time since May appears to have paid off for Mr Tremain, who took the traditionally safe Labour seat from Russell Fairbrother on election night by 3578 votes.

With his brother, Mr Tremain took over their father's real estate business and admits his family name helped open doors in Napier.

But he believes it was his own efforts that finally got him where he is now.

He's been involved in numerous community initiatives, is a keen swimmer and life-saver, and has regularly been chairman of the Napier Old Boys Marist Rugby Club.

He is the chairman of Sport Hawke's Bay, a position his new job will force him to give up.

Mr Tremain ran a joint Hawkes Bay ticket for National with Tukituki candidate Craig Foss and believes it helped both win their seats.

The pair worked together on the apple protests and other issues, keen to present an image of a team working in the interests of the province.

Mr Tremain credits an 8km run along the highway every morning - which by the campaign's end totalled the amount of kilometres it would take to run from Napier to Parliament - as just one of his effective campaign strategies, noting the supportive beeps grew from a trickle to a cacophony by the end.

He lists his interests as sport, business and "working to build strong relationships with the Maori community".

Asked if forcing the abolition of the Maori seats would contribute to that goal, there is a long pause, followed by the observation he is mindful of being a new MP.

Then with the kind of expertise you would expect of an old hand who finds himself uncomfortable with the party line, he dodges the answer, repeating instead: "I'd like to work to build strong relationships with the Maori community."