Te Tai Hauauru

Nanaia Mahuta has decided to contest the new Maori electorate of Tainui rather than stay in Te Tai Hauauru, leaving Labour colleague Tariana Turia to step into the breach.

Labour is expected to make a clean sweep of the Maori electorates and Mrs Turia, Associate Minister of Maori Affairs, should have no problem seeing off her opposition.

A Marae-DigiPoll survey gave the outspoken Mrs Turia an overwhelming lead over her nearest rival, Ken Mair (Mana Maori Movement). Other candidates are Greg White, 51 (National), CEO of a fishing company and chief negotiator for the Ngati Tama Iwi Development Trust, Kamaka Manuel, 28 (Alliance), James Hippolite (United Future New Zealand), and Jeanette Shramka (Christian Heritage Party).



The electorate's boundaries have been significantly redrawn, effectively moving it south.

It loses South Auckland and Hamilton in the north and extends south past its old boundary of Wanganui down to Porirua, taking in Palmerston North.

Turia opted not to go on the Labour list, and is relying on her high-profile support for Maori issues to keep her in Parliament.

Although her radical anti-colonialist views have been derided by some, she is on safe ground here.

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