Seven to contest Rotorua seat in election

Photo/File

Seven people will battle it out to become Rotorua MP, while it will be a two-man race for the Waiariki seat.

Nominations have now closed and the Electoral Commission today released the final electorate and party list candidates for 2017.

Independent Rachel Clark and Owen Patterson (Conservative) will join Wendy Biddle (Maori Party), Richard Gillies (Green Party), incumbent Todd McClay (National), Ben Sandford (Labour) and Fletcher Tabuteau (New Zealand First) on the voting papers for the Rotorua electorate.

Tamati Coffey (Labour) and incumbent Te Ururoa Flavell (Maori Party) are the only nominations for the Waiariki seat.

Ms Clark, a self-employed property manager from Ngongotaha, is currently serving her third term on the Maketu Community Board.

She said she only made the final decision to stand two weeks ago.

"It's really quite scary putting yourself out there," she said. "I am looking forward to the challenge."

She said she was tired of seeing people in Rotorua and around New Zealand suffering, pointing to the country's high rates of suicide and homelessness as examples.

"I don't like the direction it's all going," she said.

"It's got to change . . . my focus is on change."

She said New Zealand needed to get "back to basics" and look after its people.

Environmental issues were also important to her and she supported a lot of the Greens' policies in that respect, she said.

Across the country a total of 534 candidates (electorate and list) are standing in this year's election on September 23. This compares with 554 candidates in the 2014 election.

Sixteen parties will seek the party vote - one more than in 2014.

They are:

1.ACT New Zealand
2.Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
3.Ban1080
4.Conservative
5.Democrats for Social Credit
6.Green Party
7.Internet Party
8.Labour Party
9.MANA
10.Māori Party
11.National Party
12.New Zealand First Party
13.New Zealand People's Party
14.NZ Outdoors Party
15.The Opportunities Party (TOP)
16.United Future

Full information by electorate including candidates, advance voting places and election day voting places can be found at https://www.elections.org.nz/events/2017-general-election/information-voters-who-when-and-where.

The party lists are available at https://www.elections.org.nz/events/2017-general-election/2017-general-election-party-lists.