2022 Hamilton West by-election

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2022 Hamilton West by-election
← 2020 10 December 2022 2023 →
Hamilton West electorate of the House of Representatives
Turnout15,104 (31.4%)
 
Tama Potaka (cropped).png
Georgie Dansey.jpg
Candidate Tama Potaka Georgie Dansey
Party National Labour
Popular vote 6,974 4,541
Percentage 46.29% 30.14%
 
No image.png
Dr Gaurav Sharma.jpg
Candidate James McDowall Gaurav Sharma
Party ACT Momentum
Popular vote 1,515 1,242
Percentage 10.06% 8.24%
Results by polling place
Potaka:      <50%      50–60%      60–70%
Dansey:      <50%
MP before election

Gaurav Sharma
Independent

Elected MP

Tama Potaka
National

The 2022 Hamilton West by-election was a by-election in New Zealand's Hamilton West electorate. The seat became vacant due to the resignation of former Labour Party MP Gaurav Sharma on 18 October 2022 after expulsion from the party caucus.[1]

The by-election was held on 10 December 2022, with twelve candidates on the ballot, and was won by the National Party candidate Tama Potaka. The results were reported by media outlets and opposition parties as a sign of waning support for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's administration and the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 New Zealand general election, although the by-election was marked by low turnout.[2][3][4]

Background

[edit]

In August 2022, Sharma was first suspended and then expelled from the Labour parliamentary caucus after breaching confidentiality of caucus communications. On 18 October 2022, Sharma resigned from Parliament, claiming that Labour leader Jacinda Ardern was planning to wait until the 2023 New Zealand general election was less than six months away and then invoke the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Act 2018, also known as waka-jumping legislation. This would vacate Sharma's Hamilton West seat late enough in the 53rd Parliament to avoid a by-election, leaving the electorate unrepresented. Ardern, Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins rejected this unproven claim.[5] On 20 October, Ardern announced that the by-election would be held on 10 December.[6]

Ardern was critical of Sharma's decision to resign and trigger a by-election, saying it was a waste of taxpayer money.[7]

Electorate

[edit]

Hamilton West covers the western half of Hamilton, New Zealand's fourth-largest city. It covers the entire Hamilton City Council area west of the Waikato River, as well as part of Flagstaff east of the river.[8]

This was Hamilton West's first by-election. The electorate is regarded as a bellwether seat; in all but one general election since the electorate's creation in 1969, the party that has won the plurality of seats nationally has won Hamilton West.[8][9]

Candidates

[edit]

Candidate nominations closed on Tuesday 8 November,[10] and were announced on Wednesday 9 November. There are twelve candidates.[11]

Party Candidate Background
Labour Georgie Dansey List-only candidate in 2020
Independent Gordon John Dickson Received 9 votes in the 2022 Tauranga by-election; Labour Party candidate in Selwyn, 2014[12]
ONE Rudi du Plooy Joint candidate. New Conservative Hamilton West candidate in 2020, Hamilton City Council candidate in 2022 and 2019
New Conservative
Independent Frank Fu Candidate for Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward in the 2022 Auckland local elections[13]
ACT James McDowall List MP (2020–present), former candidate for Waikato (2020) and Hamilton East (2017)
Money Free Party Richard Osmaston Ran simultaneously for mayor of six different districts in the 2022 local elections[14]
Opportunities Naomi Pocock TOP candidate for Hamilton East in 2020
Outdoors Donna Pokere-Phillips Party co-leader, previous candidate in multiple local and national elections
National Tama Potaka Chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Momentum Gaurav Sharma Labour MP for Hamilton West 2020–2022
Vision NZ Jade Tait
Legalise Cannabis Peter Wakeman Contested 2022 Tauranga by-election and 2022 Christchurch mayoral election

Resigned MP Gaurav Sharma contested the by-election under the banner of his new New Zealand Momentum Party.[15] His campaign was backed financially by wealthy businessman Roshan Nauhria who was involved with the now defunct People's Party.[16] Sharma had stated that he intended to form a new centrist party "with focus on outcomes and action rather than on ideologies."[1]

The Labour Party candidate was Georgie Dansey (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), the chief executive of the Independent Schools Education Association. In 2020 she sought the Hamilton West nomination and was 81st on Labour's party list.[17][18][19] Others who had been seen as possible Labour candidates included Dan Steer, an electorate staffer and candidate in the Hamilton City Council's 2022 local elections, and city councillor Maxine van Oosten, who declined to seek nomination citing commitments as the council's Finance and Monitoring Committee chairperson.[20]

The National Party candidate was Tama Potaka, chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.[21] Two other potential candidates were shortlisted – health manager Dr Frances Hughes, and Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau (a business director and former chair of the New Zealand Tonga Business Council who had been on the party's list in 2020).[22][23] In the lead-up to the selection, party leader Christopher Luxon repeatedly committed to making the party's caucus more diverse.[24] Both former MP Tim Macindoe, who lost the Hamilton West seat to Sharma in 2020, and former one-term Hamilton mayor Andrew King had indicated an interest in the candidacy before ultimately standing aside.[25][26][20][27][28] The New Zealand Herald's political editor, Claire Trevett, consequently wrote that the party had effectively implemented a "white-man ban".[29]

The Opportunities Party's (TOP's) candidate was Naomi Pocock, a project manager at the University of Waikato and TOP's candidate in Hamilton East at the 2020 election, where she placed fourth.[30] TOP's 2020 candidate for Hamilton West, Hayden Cargo, had moved to Auckland and taken up the role of Party Secretary.[28]

ACT New Zealand's candidate was list MP James McDowall.[31] He won 5.2% of the Waikato electorate vote in 2020 and 0.39% of Hamilton East's vote in 2017.[32][33]

The New Conservative Party and ONE Party cooperated, with Rudi du Plooy as their joint candidate.[34] In 2020, du Plooy stood in the same seat for the New Conservatives, while in 2019 and 2022 he ran unsuccessfully for a West Ward seat on the Hamilton City Council.[35][36][37]

NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party co-leader Donna Pokere-Phillips also stood.[34] She previously ran for both the Hamilton mayoralty and a seat in the city's new Māori Ward in October 2022, and in the city council's 2021 Hamilton East by-election. In national politics she stood in Hauraki-Waikato for the Māori Party in 2020 and in Hamilton West for The Opportunities Party in 2017.

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party selected pilot, and non-cannabis user, Peter Wakeman as their candidate. A perennial candidate, Wakeman had recently stood at the 2022 Christchurch mayoral election.[31]

Vision NZ, under the far-right umbrella party Freedoms NZ, were represented by Jade Tait.[38] Her father, Derek Tait, is a Destiny Church pastor and a leader within the Freedom & Rights Coalition.[39][40][41]

The Green Party and New Zealand First did not contest the election.[18][42]

Campaigning

[edit]

The regulated period for election expenses began on Thursday, 20 October. Two weeks of advance voting started on Monday 28 November.[43] Television and radio advertising was allowed only from Wednesday, 2 November to Friday, 9 December, when all forms of advertising were required to end by midnight.[10] A spending limit of $61,100 (including GST) applied to each candidate.[44]

Both Labour and National claimed "underdog" status even before their candidates had been selected.[23][45]

The day after her candidacy was announced, Labour's Georgie Dansey was seen at an ambush protest against her own party's health minister, Andrew Little. The protest, at the University of Waikato, was organised by the Tertiary Education Union and focused on the working conditions of University staff. Little had visited the University to make an announcement about student mental health.[46] In a subsequent Facebook post on 2 November 2022, Dansey denied being part of the ambush protest, saying "I was at the uni today in my capacity as an education sector union rep. I wasn't there to protest the Minister and when it became clear the Minister was being ambushed, I left".[47]

On 5 November Sharma was ordered by Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero to remove a sign outside his former electorate office stating he was the MP for Hamilton West, which was incorrect after his resignation. Sharma stated he had not received any order and the matter was "...up to Parliamentary Service to sort it out."[48]

On 17 November, Luxon announced National's youth crime policies while campaigning with Hamilton West candidate Tama Potaka, Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell, and justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith. Key policy announcements included the creation of a new Young Serious Offender category and boot camps known as "Youth Offender Military Academies" for juvenile offenders, electronic monitoring, targeting gangs, and funding community groups.[49][50] During the policy announcement, Potaka said that Hamilton had become known as the "ramraid capital of New Zealand" in reference to the nationwide surge in ram raids in 2022. He also stated that he wanted "Hamilton West to be the best city to grow up and grow old in."[50]

Opinion polling

[edit]

A poll was conducted by Curia and commissioned by the ACT Party during 21 and 22 October, before any candidates other than Sharma had been announced and before NZ First announced it would not contest the election. The poll asked 400 eligible voters, "while candidates for the by-election haven't been announced yet, which party's candidate are you most likely to vote for?" It reported that 44.7% of respondents said they were most likely to vote for the National Party candidate, compared with 36.6% for a Labour candidate, 8.6% for the ACT candidate, 4.7% for the Green candidate, and 2.9% for the NZ First candidate. Only 2.5% answered the question saying they would most likely vote for Sharma.[51]

A second poll, the first after candidates were announced, was released on 5 December. National's Tama Potaka was on 46% of decided voters, Labour's Georgie Dansey with 33%, ACT's James McDowall on 12% and Sharma on 4%.[52]

Poll source Date(s) Georgie
Dansey 		James
McDowall 		Tama
Potaka 		Gaurav
Sharma 		Other/Undecided
Curia/ACT[51] 21–22 October 2022 36.6% 8.6% 44.7% 2.5% 7.6%
Taxpayers’ Union[52] 27 November 2022 33% 12% 46% 4% 5%

Results

[edit]

The following table shows the final by-election results:[53][54]

2022 Hamilton West by-election

Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the by-election.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list prior to the by-election.
Yellow background denotes the winner of the by-election, who was a list MP prior to the by-election.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Tama Potaka 6,974 46.29
Labour Georgie Dansey 4,541 30.14
ACT James McDowall 1,515 10.06
Momentum Gaurav Sharma 1,242 8.24 −43.61
Opportunities Naomi Pocock 357 2.37
Outdoors Donna Pokere-Phillips 130 0.86
New Conservatives Rudi du Plooy[a] 118 0.78 −0.76
Legalise Cannabis Peter Wakeman 76 0.50
Vision NZ Jade Tait 61 0.40
Independent Gordon Dickson 26 0.17
Independent Frank Fu 20 0.13
Money Free Party Richard Osmaston 7 0.05
Informal votes 37 0.27 −1.96
Majority 2,433 16.15
Turnout 15,104 31.40 −49.80
National gain from Labour Swing +
  1. ^ Joint candidate also representing the ONE Party.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Embattled MP Gaurav Sharma says he's resigned, triggering by-election". 1News. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Jacinda Ardern's 2023 chances dented as Labour loses New Zealand by-election". South China Morning Post. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023 – via Bloomberg News.
  3. ^ "Opposition tout political change for 2023 elections after Hamilton West seat win". Radio New Zealand. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ McKay, Ben (12 December 2022). "Staring into a looming recession, Ardern shrugs off byelection defeat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Gaurav Sharma resigns as an MP months after expulsion from Labour". Radio New Zealand. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  6. ^ Witton, Bridie; McConnell, Glenn (20 October 2022). "PM Jacinda Ardern says Hamilton West by-election will be held on December 10; Labour Party expels Gaurav Sharma". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  7. ^ McConnell, Glenn (19 October 2022). "Gaurav Sharma has left Parliament, but did he really need to?". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Hamilton West – Electorate Profile". New Zealand Parliament. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  9. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (4 November 2022). "Very steep uphill battle for Sharma in Hamilton West – poll". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b "2022 Hamilton West by-election timetable". vote.nz. Electoral Commission New Zealand.
  11. ^ "Hamilton West by-election candidates and voting places". Electoral Commission. 9 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Count Results – Selwyn". Election Results. Electoral Commission New Zealand. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Ward councillor official results (2022)". Auckland Council. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Meet the Nelson man running to be the mayor of six councils". Stuff. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  15. ^ Pearse, Adam (4 November 2022). "Hamilton West byelection: Gaurav Sharma claims raid of Labour manpower as new party revealed". New Zealand Herald.
  16. ^ Lynch, Jenna (19 October 2022). "Wealthy businessman Roshan Nauhria willing to financially back Gaurav Sharma". Newshub. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Labour selects Georgie Dansey to run in Hamilton West by-election". Stuff. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  18. ^ a b Pearse, Adam (1 November 2022). "Labour selects Georgie Dansey as Hamilton West byelection candidate". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  19. ^ Trevett, Claire (24 October 2022). "Hamilton West byelection: Who's lining up for National and Labour – and will it answer National's diversity problem?". The New Zealand Herald.
  20. ^ a b Moore, Rachel (19 October 2022). "Who will step up in Hamilton West after Gaurav Sharma's resignation?". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  21. ^ Franke-Bowell, Jonah (6 November 2022). "Tama Potaka announced as National's pick to contest Hamilton West by-election". Stuff. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  22. ^ Trevett, Claire (31 October 2022). "National Party shortlist for Hamilton West byelection announced". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  23. ^ a b Franke, Jonah (1 November 2022). "'Underdog' National Party unveils diverse candidate shortlist for Hamilton West by-election". Stuff. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  24. ^ Pearse, Adam (25 October 2022). "Hamilton West byelection: National sets candidate expectations amid diversity dilemma". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Former National MP won't stand in Hamilton West by-election". 1 News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  26. ^ Leaman, Aaron (30 April 2022). "Return of the King: former Hamilton mayor eyes seat in the Beehive". Stuff. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  27. ^ Pearse, Adam (31 October 2022). "Hamilton West byelection: Former mayor Andrew King out of National's candidate race". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  28. ^ a b Pearse, Adam (19 October 2022). "Hamilton West byelection: Gaurav Sharma's surprise exit hurts Labour's chances – Jacinda Ardern". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  29. ^ Trevett, Claire (1 November 2022). "Claire Trevett: Oh, the diversity! National leader Christopher Luxon and the 'white-man ban' in Hamilton West". The New Zealand Herald.
  30. ^ Ensor, Jamie (28 October 2022). "Hamilton West by-election: The Opportunities Party puts forward Naomi Pocock". Newshub. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  31. ^ a b "ACT chooses sitting MP to join Hamilton by-election race". Radio New Zealand. 3 November 2022.
  32. ^ Ensor, Jamie (3 November 2022). "Hamilton West by-election: ACT Party announces Dr James McDowall as candidate". Newshub. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Hamilton East: Electoral Profile". New Zealand Parliament (Pāremata Aotearoa). Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  34. ^ a b Franke-Bowell, Jonah (7 November 2022). "One candidate, two parties: Conservative coalition picks Hamilton West contender". Stuff. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  35. ^ Cooke, Henry (7 November 2022). "New Conservative candidate shares digitally edited billboard while complaining of vandalism, says another party pranked him". Stuff. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  36. ^ "Hamilton City Council candidates confirmed". Hamilton City Council. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  37. ^ Bathgate, Benn; Rolleston, Te Aorewa (12 September 2022). "'Revenge' and anti-vax agendas – the motives behind Hamilton's mayoral hopefuls". Stuff. Retrieved 7 November 2022. Rudi Du Plooy is a member of a four-strong Team Integrity group seeking election to Hamilton City Council.
  38. ^ "Vision NZ announces candidate for Hamilton West". Voxy. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  39. ^ Van Beynen, Martin (15 January 2022). "Derek Tait: Destiny Church's mouth in the south". Stuff. Retrieved 8 November 2022. His daughter Jade owns a $700,000 house in Woodend with her partner.
  40. ^ Shaw, Richard (26 August 2022). "Refusing to rule out working with Brian Tamaki, Luxon gives NZ's populist right a 'sniff of credibility'". The Conversation.
  41. ^ Sharma, Akula (24 October 2022). "Brian Tamaki's umbrella party to contest Hamilton West byelection". The New Zealand Herald.
  42. ^ "NZ First will not contest Hamilton West byelection, says Winston Peters". The Spinoff. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  43. ^ "Learn more about the Hamilton West by-election". New Zealand Parliament (Pāremata Aotearoa). Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  44. ^ "2022 Hamilton West by-election: Rules for campaigning, expenses and donations". vote.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  45. ^ "Sharma: Ardern says Labour 'underdog' in Hamilton West seat". RNZ. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022. Jacinda Ardern says her party is the "underdog" in the Hamilton West electorate.
  46. ^ Franke-Bowell, Jonah (2 November 2022). "Labour Hamilton West candidate seen at ambush protest against own minister". Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  47. ^ "Labour Hamilton West by-election candidate Georgie Dansey denies protesting Labour minister Andrew Little day after selection". Newshub. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  48. ^ Lynch, Jenna (5 November 2022). "Hamilton West by-election: Gaurav Sharma ordered to remove sign saying he's MP for Hamilton West". Newshub. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  49. ^ Palmer, Russell (17 November 2022). "Youth crime boot camps: National proposes military academies, electronic monitoring". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  50. ^ a b Franke-Bowell, Jonah (17 November 2022). "National would bring back military boot camps for young offenders". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  51. ^ a b Lynch, Jenna (3 November 2022). "Hamilton West by-election: Internal party poll results revealed as Dr Gaurav Sharma levels accusation at Labour candidate Georgie Dansey". Newshub.
  52. ^ a b Franke-Bowell, Jonah (5 December 2022). "National holds double-digit edge over Labour in Hamilton West by-election poll". Stuff.
  53. ^ "Hamilton West 13 Candidate Vote Details". www.electionresults.govt.nz. Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  54. ^ "Hamilton West by-election official results". Elections.nz. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
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