Dene Mackenzie profiles the Te Tai Tonga electorate. Mr Tirikatene won 43% of the vote in 2014, ahead of Maori Party candidate Ngaire Button with 25%, Green Party candidate Dora Langsbury on 16% and Mana candidate Georgina Beyer on 10.4%. "I am campaigning for the party vote first but if people want me to represent them, they can vote for me as well.'' Mrs Turei identified poverty as a major issue in Te Tai Tonga, particularly in Southland which had one of the country's largest income gaps. Because the electorate was so large, Mr Tirikatene attended as many hui as possible, where large numbers of people were gathering.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 19, 2017 03:56 UTC