National’s Weenink held a tight 83-vote election night majority over sitting Labour MP Tracey McLellan, with the all-important special vote count set to be known at 2pm tomorrow.
Said Weenink: “It is not an easy time for those of us who are on the cusp, waiting to see what might happen.”
Weenink was part of the blue wave which swept across the country.
But she will need to hold her election night majority to make it into Parliament.
She is No 40 on the National list – not high enough to become an MP.
It is also unclear whether McLellan will make it into Parliament if she loses the electorate.
She is on the cut-off point at No 27 on the Labour list and her fate may depend on the outcome of other electorate results when special votes are released.
“It’s almost exciting, but I’ve had enough of the excitement now,’ said McLellan.
Weenink polled 14,888 votes to McLellan’s 14,805. Green Party candidate Lan Pham was third with 6470 votes. Pham is assured a seat in Parliament as No 6 on the Greens list.
In 2020, McLellan won the seat as a first-time candidate with 25,393 votes, 13,156 more than National’s Catherine Chu.
McLellan had succeeded the retiring long-time Labour MP Ruth Dyson.
McLellan said she hopes the special votes will follow past election trends of favouring the left.
When it comes to making a prediction on the result she said: “I have absolutely no idea.”
McLellan said she had not thought about what she would do if she loses her seat in Parliament.
Before she became an MP, she was a union organiser for the New Zealand Nurses Association and a brain injury researcher.
Weenink is also unsure of her future if she loses, but she would not go back to working as a GP.
Electorate results before special votes
Christchurch Central
• Duncan Webb (Incumbent), Labour – 12,414
• Dale Aotea Stephens, National – 10,567
• Kahurangi Carter, Greens – 3679
Ilam
• Hamish Campbell, National – 15,107
• Raf Manji, TOP – 8526
• Sarah Pallett (Incumbent), Labour – 7260
Christchurch East
• Reuben Davidson (Incumbent Party*), Labour – 12,680
• Matt Stock, National – 10,712
• Sahra Ahmed, Greens – 3382
Wigram
• Megan Woods (Incumbent), Labour – 12,685
• Tracy Summerfield, National – 11,262
• Richard Wesley, Greens – 2574
By Dylan Smits
