The extremely tight race for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate has gone before voters in Ōrewa, on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast.
As its name suggests, Te Tai Tokerau is the northernmost Māori seat and encompasses Northland, but its southern boundary includes parts of Auckland's northern and western suburbs.
Event organiser Te Huinga Smallman said despite the widely held assumption that theirs was a wealthy and affluent area, there were whānau who were struggling amidst the cost of living crisis.
“We're definitely not immune to that. We've had people that are accessing food banks, that have two incomes in a household, so we're definitely not immune to what the rest of the country is feeling.”
She said they were "incredibly fortunate" in Te Tai Tokerau to have wonderful candidates.
"I think they're making it really, really hard for us voters to pick, so I think they did a really good job at telling the community their values, but also how that reflects in their policies."
Te Tai Tokerau is gearing up to be an electorate to watch come Saturday.
The candidates
Incumbent Mariameno Kapa-Kingi who challenged her expulsion from Te Pāti Māori in court last year and won, is up against three other political heavyweights and a veteran campaigner with over a decade worth of experience.
Labour Party’s Willow-Jean Prime is the only candidate with ministerial experience and the highest ranking wahine Māori in the party.
Te Pāti Māori’s new contender Aperahama Edwards is an iwi leader who famously swiped David Seymour’s microphone at Waitangi last year, and a central figure at protests on the foreshore and seabed, Māori representation on councils, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Green Party’s Hūhana Lyndon has become the biggest threat after a Whakaata Māori-Curia poll had her out in front of her opponents. She’s hoping to make history as the first Green Party candidate to win any Māori seat.
A fifth candidate, perhaps relatively unknown yet experienced campaigner, is co-leader Mika Herbert from the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party. She has been putting her hand up since 2010, and has returned this round.
Voters respond
Following the meeting, one voter said they were impressed with the calibre of candidates and how they presented themselves. “They're very clear thinkers and know what they're there for and who they're delivering for and they have a clear view on how they do that.”
He said he respected the different views on how they would achieve their goals, and “really” appreciated that they all wanted the best outcomes for the electorate.
One woman said seeing how the candidates treated each other during the event restored her faith in politics.
“I watched the TVNZ debate for the Māori leaders earlier this week, and honestly, I saw that debate and I quite frankly was disgusted [with] people bagging each other. [Whereas you] come in here, you see people talking with honesty and respect for each other.”
She felt the candidates came from a “completely” kaupapa Māori perspective with culture and whānau prioritised over politics, unlike what she’s been seeing on TV.
“We're all supposed to be looking out for each other and acknowledging each other's differences and coming together with those, not trying to fit all of us into one sized fits box.”
Meanwhile, she is undecided on who will get her vote but is heartened by the choice in front of her.
"Any one of these people in here, if any one gets in, you know they're coming from the right place with the right heart."
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