Oriini Kaipara has reclaimed the Tāmaki Makaurau seat for Te Pāti Māori.
At 8.54pm on Saturday night preliminary results showed Oriini was out in front with 5,763 votes whilst her competitor Peeni Henare was on 2,953.
Although the results show she has won the election, the offical results will be coming on September 17.
Speaking to media from her election gathering in Te Atatū, Oriini said she was elated at the result and acknowledged the voters of Tāmaki Makaurau.
This will be her first time in Parliament as a politician, having previously been a broadcaster.
“I tēnei wā, e tino pūrena ana tōku ngākau ki a Tāmaki Makaurau whānui tonu. E tuohu ana, e rewa ana taku pōtae. I puta i a koutou he aha tā koutou e whai nei”
Peeni conceded and pointed to low voter turnout
Out of 43,796 registered voters, 9,337 cast their votes, meaning 34,459 did not vote, a turnout of just over 21 percent.
Peeni Henare hosted his election night gathering at Te Māhurehure Marae in Pt Chevalier, surrounded by whānau, friends and Labour colleagues.
The atmosphere was relaxed as guests watched the All Blacks dominate the Springboks, but that shifted when Henare delivered his concession speech.
“I don’t care, Māori mai, Pākeha mai – the number one opposition in this campaign was this terrible government," he told supporters.
Reflecting on the result, Henare pointed to poor voter turnout as a key factor.
“Ka noho te nuinga ki te wā kāinga, ka kore e puta mai ki te pōti, he nui ngā totohe ki waenganui i a tāua te Māori, ko te hiahia kia tiro atu anō ki te anamata, kaua ki ngā totohe kua kitea e au.”
He pledged to his supporters that the next general election would be an opportunity to contest again.
Labour looks at coalition options
Asked whether it was time for Labour to work more closely with Te Pāti Māori, Māori Caucus Campaign Chair Willie Jackson agreed.
“We all agree that this should be the strategy. One thing in politics is we’re down at the moment, but we’re buoyed by the strength of the broader party.”
The by-election was triggered after the late Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp passed in June.
