The neat symmetry of a public health doctor running against a former tobacco company employee briefly animated the sedate Clutha-Southland race.
National media picked up the story of Todd Barclay's selection for the ultra-safe National seat, which party heavyweight Bill English vacated by deciding to go on the list only.
Mr Barclay worked as corporate affairs manager at Phillip Morris New Zealand for eight months in a career that included jobs in National government ministerial offices, and a short posting in Prime Minister John Key's office.
The 24-year-old is basically guaranteed entrance to Parliament and a $147,800 backbencher's salary by virtue of winning selection.
An editorial in The Dominion Post opined a ''drover's dog'' could win it for National, and questioned Mr Barclay's suitability for public office, given his previous career.
A post on left-leaning blog The Standard reckoned Mr Barclay and Labour's candidate Liz Craig illustrated the ''stark contrast'' in New Zealand politics between corporate greed and public good.
Dr Craig is a public health doctor and epidemiologist who previously edited a child poverty monitoring report at the University of Otago.
Dr Craig has said she wants to be elected to effect positive change for the disadvantaged, but based on her low list ranking and virtually certain defeat by Mr Barclay, she will not become an MP at this election.
Ironically, the negative publicity about his early career will help Mr Barclay hold on to Mr English's more than 16,000-vote majority.
Usually newcomers in safe seats held by well-known incumbents are elected with a reduced majority.
Name recognition - and youth - are especially important in Queenstown, where voting is less likely to be along tribal lines than the rest of the electorate.
Last election, Dunedin chiropractor Tat Loo stood for Labour in the seat, and he says the selection of Mr Barclay is unlikely to harm National, as its voters are very loyal.
''In my opinion, National should have found a guy in his 30s from the electorate who had been farming there ... for 10 or 15 years, who understands the local issues. Barclay's not that guy.''
While Dr Loo is obviously partisan, the selection of a candidate without direct experience of the agricultural economy means he has to work hard to get up to speed.
The region must work out how to hold on to the prosperity of the rural boom while dealing with water quality issues, farm debt, falling dairy returns and the need to consolidate the sheep meat industry.
Southland is at the sharp end of the intensification of dairy.
It has just over 11% of New Zealand's dairy cows, its herd increasing from 170,323 in 1998-99 to 532,079 in 2012-13.
Sheep numbers dropped by 1.3 million from 2007 to June 2012.
Work continues in the red meat sector to push for a better industry structure, although talks between some of the major players in the industry have failed to gain traction.
Making sheep meat more profitable and efficient would reduce the rate of conversion to dairy.
So far the Government has taken a hands-off approach to the industry's woes.
MPs in rural seats help determine the Government's direction on the rural economy, export strategies, and environmental trade-offs; all are vital to New Zealand's future prosperity.
Fonterra's announcement last month of a $157 million expansion at its Edendale site is a welcome boost to spirits dampened by falling dairy returns.
At 38,247sq km, the electorate has a huge roading network. Local councils will hope Mr Barclay can put his lobbying skills to good use arguing for increased rural roading funding, and other essential infrastructure.
Mr Barclay is running a solid campaign in order to build his profile as the likely new MP, issuing plenty of press releases on local issues.
National Party southern region chairwoman Ele Ludemann said all new candidates faced questions and scrutiny, and Mr Barclay had strong support from local party members, winning selection on the first ballot.
''He knows that he's got huge shoes to fill. And the only way to both get the party vote and get a good electorate vote is to get out and meet people,'' Mrs Ludemann said.
''You will never get 100% support for anybody. If you ask me, Bill [English] can walk on water, but you'll find people that for one reason or another take exception to something he does.''
Mr English was the last MP in the seat of Wallace, which now forms part of Clutha-Southland.
Mr English and his predecessor, the late Sir Brian Talboys, were both farmers in Southland before starting their political careers in Wellington, Mr English going via a stint at the Treasury.
