Scott goes all out to win seat

ON THE LIST: Alastair Scott is on the party list, but his sights are firmly on the electorate.

National Party candidate Alastair Scott is banking on winning the Wairarapa seat to get into Parliament rather than a list seat.

National has announced its party list for the September 20 election, ranking Mr Scott at number 61 of 75.

The list decides the order that candidates will be elected to Parliament if they do not win an electorate seat.

Mr Scott said he hadn't calculated what percentage of the party vote he would need to win as a list MP if he didn't win the Wairarapa electorate.

"I'm planning to win the electorate obviously."

The Wairarapa seat is largely thought to be a safe bet for National because they have won it in the past three elections.

But it could be a close call for Mr Scott if he didn't win it.

Current Wairarapa MP John Hayes ranked 51 on the list in the 2011 election and won the electorate vote but he would not have got in as a list MP if he had lost.

The party polled 47.5 per cent in 2011, enough for 59 MPs but the last person to get in on the list then was ranked at number 50.

Mr Scott said many of the people ranked alongside him, from 54 to 63, were expected to win their seats.

"You never know what you're going to get but I can see the reasons for all the people to be where they are. They are all reasonably blue seats."

In the latest One News-Colmar Brunton poll, National scored 52 per cent support to Labour's 28 per cent.

Mr Scott said it might seem blue but it could be close.

He said the campaign was heating up and he was getting good feedback.

"We need to make sure people vote for the National Party ... it's all about the party vote across the country."

National expects to get at least 13 new MPs into Parliament alongside 46 returning MPs.