National Party selects Hamish Campbell as its Ilam candidate for 2023 election

Dr Hamish Campbell is the National Party's candidate for Christchurch electorate of Ilam for the 2023 General Election. Photo / Supplied

National has announced its candidate to compete in Christchurch’s Ilam electorate as it seeks to win back the previously long-held blue seat it lost in the red tidal wave of 2020.

Dr Hamish Campbell, a medical researcher, was selected today by local party delegates from a shortlist of five contenders.

The Ilam electorate was established in 1996 and held by National MP Gerry Brownlee until the 2020 election when he lost to Labour’s Sarah Pallett.

Brownlee announced in August he would go list only at the 2023 election, giving a strong indication he wants to be Speaker should National win in 2023.

Given that history of support for National in the electorate, it was a popular choice for candidates, and Campbell was up against James Christmas, Dale Stephens, Tracy Summerfield and Vanessa Weenink.

Campbell said he was “honoured” to be selected for Ilam, where he had grown up and now lived.

“Growing up and now living in Ilam, I have a deep connection to the electorate that is home to so many families working hard to get ahead but going backwards.”

Dr Hamish Campbell is the National Party's candidate for Christchurch electorate of Ilam for the 2023 General Election. Photo / Supplied

In a statement, Campbell referred to the “cost-of-living crisis” and targeted what he called Labour’s “wasteful spending”.

He also noted issues with crime and pressures on the health system, with the latest emergency department data showing 79 per cent of patients were seen within the target of six hours - down from 93 per cent five years ago.

National’s New Plymouth candidate will be selected on Monday. Its former MP, Jonathan Young, opted not to stand again. One contender is former Taranaki Regional Council chairman David MacLeod, who is up against the Waikato-based Ritesh Chandra. National lost the seat in 2020 to Labour’s Glen Bennett.

Meanwhile, Labour is expected to announce its Hamilton West candidate on Monday night, while Act’s board is meeting on Sunday to decide whether to stand a candidate in the byelection. National’s final selection is expected to be about a week away but is expected to this week announce its pre-selection candidates.