Hide serves up the promised victory

Rodney Hide

Act leader Rodney Hide won the hotly contested Epsom seat last night, defying critics and the polls which had him dead in the water a week ago.

His electorate seat win means he brings in one other MP, but with Labour ahead on election night he's set for another three years in opposition.

Act's Epsom headquarters was a scene of jubilant celebrations last night as Mr Hide emerged ahead of incumbent National MP Richard Worth.

Mr Worth said last night: "The people of Epsom are going to be thrice-blessed," referring to Mr Hide as Epsom MP, while Mr Worth and the Greens' Keith Locke also make Parliament as list MPs.

Was it a dirty campaign? "There's a line that says politics is organised violence," said Mr Worth, "and maybe there's something in that."

Mr Hide promised to "rebuild" the Act party and signalled his desire to continue working with National. "I always viewed this campaign as not standing against Richard [Worth] but standing alongside."

The victory followed weeks of mocking by onlookers, who scoffed at polls produced by Mr Hide and his campaigners. The polls were decried as "jack ups".

But Mr Hide has been proved resoundingly right, as he continually claimed he would be.

"Act is back," he repeatedly declared to cheers from the 300 party faithful. Acknowledging Act's tumble from 9 MPs to 2 MPs and from 7 per cent to 1.5 per cent - with Heather Roy the only other survivor - he said: "We lost a lot of talent in Parliament in this election. The job starts tonight to rebuild the Act party."

Ken Shirley, one of the seven who lost their jobs, said the vote for the right was a rejection of "increasing political correctness" and "intrusive-ness" into New Zealanders' lives.

"I'm concerned National will compromise and backslide. We're there to stop that. We're the bit of grit in the oyster - it's an irritant but it's the bit of grit that makes the pearl."

One delirious Act supporter was "Act-ion man" Ian McGimpson, a tour guide for Nomad Safaris in Queenstown. He left home in the yellow Act bus on May 23 and has driven 22,000 kilometers since, dressed in a superhero yellow and blue cape and mask.

"It was certainly worth doing 22,000 kilometres. If we can keep the Nats on track we will have achieved what we set out to do."

Beachaven candidate Nick Kearney was also delighted, saying the party had proved its detractors wrong.

"They all said it couldn't be done. With teamwork and hard work it can be done.

"Not just in Epsom but anywhere."

Mr Kearney was one of a number of candidates pulled from their own electorates to help win Epsom for Mr Hide. At 10pm last night he conceded the North Shore seat without even checking the number of votes he had won (731).

Former Act leader Richard Prebble last night signalled a new way ahead for Act as he bowed out of politics.

He said the party was formed to promote ideas including tax cuts, "one law for all" and a deadline for treaty settlements. Mr Prebble said the party now need to push new ideas, having seen its ideals adopted by mainstream parties.

"We should declare victory and move on."

He said issues Act should now be debating included New Zealand adopting nuclear energy; attacking more than $1m of welfare abuse; and the use of the country's defence force.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY