North Shore

Blue-ribbon real estate and politics go together in the electorate of North Shore.

Its boundaries embrace some of the country's most expensive homes.

Its National MP, Wayne Mapp, was elected in 1999 with a majority of 7048 votes. He has raised his public profile as party defence and justice spokesman.

North Shore voters spend a lot of time in traffic jams on the Harbour Bridge. Mapp says they need a Government that will shrink the planning process for remedies.

His strongest rival, Helen Duncan, is the Labour list MP responsible for North Shore. She is confident of increasing her 27.9 per cent share of the 1999 electorate vote.

Completing the busway and clearing motorway bottlenecks are high priorities for the Government, she says.

North Shore is a strong electorate for Act, represented by journalist Deborah Coddington.

New Zealand First has Barbara Stewart, who works in training and development. Devonport painter Lyndsay Brock is standing for Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition and Karl Bartleet, a youth worker and music teacher, is the Alliance candidate.

Actor Richard Green is standing for the Greens.

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