The selection for the new National party candidate for Palmerston North was held today.
Unlike all the dodgy shenanigans by locals and regional power brokers in Rodney the selection was a fairly straight forward affair.
Ultimately being local counted and Leonie Hapeta narrowly edged out Karen Rolleston for the nomination. Leonie will make a great candiate and short of breaking her ankle like she did in the local body elections will be out door knocing and securing the last provincial seat that Labour currently holds for National.
Leonie is a battler and can beat Iain Lees-Galloway.
Karen Rolleston is a very capable candidate too, and had she not been bullied out of Rodney by Brent Robinson and Cehill Pienaar may well have had a good crack at that seat. With some good sound advice and some fine tuning by a competent strategist she could well make a good showing soon in a selection closer to her home base of the North Shore. Karen can contect me for some suggestions.
All the best to Leonie Hapeta though, take the fight to Labour and tip out their lack-lustre candidate in November.
