Key electorate: Hamilton East

By GREGG WYCHERLEY

Dianne Yates, arch rival of incumbent Hamilton East National MP Tony Steel, looks as if she could even the score, according to the polls.

Steel, an ex-All Black, scraped in by the skin of his teeth in 1999 with a majority of 692 over Ms Yates, a Labour list MP.

Mr Steel was elected in 1990, and the pair have monopolised the electorate, fighting it out in every election since 1993.

The score so far stands at 2-1 to Mr Steel, but the polls show that Ms Yates may draw equal this time.

But many Hamilton voters, especially young people, appear to have lost interest in the game.

Green candidate Cathy Olsen, a 22-year-old Waikato University student, believes the Yates/Steel stranglehold has stupefied young voters. She believes the Dianne Yates/Tony Steel stranglehold on the seat has discouraged young people from enrolling or voting.

Only 54 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds in Hamilton East have enrolled, compared to the national average of 81 per cent.

Ms Olsen thinks it is time for new blood.

"What's the point in even voting? You can barely even tell the difference between the two, let alone their policies."

It's true that neither Ms Yates, 59, nor Mr Steel, 61, has set the political scene alight, and Mr Steel in particular is remarkably low profile for a three-term MP.

Hamilton East is a diverse electorate, taking in Waikato University and its student flatters, pockets of poor suburbia, the gentrified environs of River Rd and large tracts of lifestyle blocks.

Ms Yates and Mr Steel are fixed features of that landscape, and none of the other contenders stands any real chance of breaking the deadlock.

Richard Carter (United Future), Brian Dawson, (Act), Gavin Denby (Christian Heritage Party), Ravaani DK Ghaemmaghamy (Alliance), Jim Medland (Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition) and Doug Woolerton (New Zealand First) are all polling below the 5 per cent mark.

Both Ms Yates and Mr Steel are former school teachers. Mr Steel ended his teaching career with a 10- year stint as the principal of Hamilton Boys' High before winning Hamilton East in 1990.

He is solid in his constituency work, while Ms Yates is busy with issues of date rape legislation, shop trading hours, liquor label warnings and human gene manipulation.

She has slipped to 29 on her party's list, still high enough, though, to guarantee her a seat in Parliament.

But Mr Steel has never been on the list and if he can not persuade the voters to give him another shot he faces political oblivion.

"If the electorate want me, they'll vote for me and if they don't, so be it."

"By all accounts she [Ms Yates] will get in on the list and I'd like to be there as the status quo elected MP."

Ms Olsen, however, has a youthful disdain for the status quo and wants to inject some life into the electorate and get young people voting.

"It creates a self-perpetuating cycle where the young people don't vote for any change because they don't believe that can change anything; it's already set in stone."

She is riding high on the Greens' popularity surge and the party needs to pull about 12 to 13 per cent for her to get in on her list placing of 16.

The polls are showing the Greens with around 10 to 11 per cent and she has a slim chance of becoming the country's youngest-ever female MP.

Ms Yates say she is disappointed by the lack of interest by young Hamilton people, but denies it is because she is boring.

"I was brought up to believe that no one is boring.

"My answer to her is what has she done about it? If people are bored they might need to look back at themselves."

Ms Olsen might be young and bored by the Hamilton political scene, but she has the politician's instinct.

"You get the same old conservative people voting exactly the same every year and I think we need a change."

Candidates

Richard Carter - United Future

Brian Dawson - Act

Gavin Denby - Christian Heritage

Ravaani Ghaemmaghamy - Alliance

Jim Medland - Progressive Coalition

Cathy Olsen - Greens

Tony Steel - National

Doug Woolerton - NZ First

Dianne Yates - Labour


1999 Result: Tony Steel (National - majority 692)

1996 Result: Tony Steel (National - majority 2347)

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