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Whaleoil Awards – Best electorate MP nominations

by Whaleoil on December 27, 2011

Ignore the scum list MP, this award is for the best electorate MP.

Could it be Damien O’Connor, for doing what no other Labour MP could do anywhere else in the country and win a seat off a sitting National MP?

How about Todd McClay who increased his majority in Rotorua and dispatched Steve Chadwick for good?

Nikki Kaye for beating Labour number 4 ranked ‘star’ Jacinda Ardern?

Sam Lotu Iiga for cementing his reputation as a fine local MP and making sure that Carol Beaumont is looking for anew job?

Colin King is invisible in Wellington but his electorate loves him returning him with a massive majority, the shearing community loves him too.

There are many, many choices, put your nominations in the comments and the reasons why you think your local MP should get the Whaleoil Award for Best Electorate MP.

UPDATE: I clean forgot about Nicky Wagner, she was the only National MP to take a hard hat Labour seat of a sitting Labour MP.

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  • Vegas

    How about Paula Bennett who dispatched the wicked witch of the west?!!

  • Euan Rt

    This is a really difficult nomination because what good MP’s do in their electorates is most often not reported on. I have a good friend in Jo Goodhew’s office, and I hear of so much going on there. especially, but not only, around the relocation and welfare of Chch earthquake victims in Timaru. I am sure many Mp’s are working like this below the radar, but it would be good to hear more of them and their community involvment. I hope whale watchers will take the effort to share what they know of other good work being done here.

  • kevin

    Todd McClay is a good solid and active MP.

  • Euan Rt

    If we are to judge on what is reported on in the media, then I am most impressed by Paula Bennett. She has what must be one of the most difficult portfolios which has been the downfall of others before her and yet still cleaned out the septic tank.

  • Mattyman

    Tough one to call, it would be hard to look past Nikki Kaye. There is no doubt she puts the people of her electorate first, something many other MP’s should take note of. She door knocked over 10,000 houses, how many MP’s can say that? She increased her support in a liberal stronghold while fending off a tidal wave of tactical voting from the greens.

  • Mattyman

    I also think Gerry Brownlee should be in there for his work in ChCh.

  • An observer

    Best satisfaction was the outing of the” Woman “called STEVE in Rotorua,a master stroke.Another one of Clark’s coven of ugly sisters has been eliminated.

  • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

    Chester Borrows; for picking up Michael Laws’ desire to ban gang patches. Despite a legal hiccup, the Gang Insignia by-law will be passed in revised form early in the New Year.

    Chester pushed on with the Gang Insignia Bill depite the shrieking from Metiria Turei and others that is was racist legislation. That notion went out the window when a pakeha Hell’s Angels member was the first to be arrested and prosecuted. But almost overnight, the overt gang presence in Wanganui disappeared, and the shopping centre from which I collect the mail each day lost the menacing Black Power wannabes that used to strut around intimidating the elderly in particular.

    This was a great example of local and central government uniting to deal with a local issue, and then sorting it out when the Courts in their wisdom decided the law was too broad. In addition, Chester has been accessible and very supportive of local business, and his promotion to Minister Outside Cabinet is well deserved.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve heard that Hekia Parata does good work in her neck of the woods, so I’ll nominate her.

    • Michael

      She’s a list MP so can’t win in this category.

    • http://www.whaleoil.co.nz Whaleoil

      She is a list MP after failing to unseat Faafoi despite her bold predictions

  • Michael

    Trevor Mallard – for spending every weekend in Taupo, attending hundreds of cycling events and getting himself so badly injured he was out of action for months.  Best service the people of Hutt South have had since 1993.

  • Dion

    Nick Smith (nominated despite his Nickpocrisy).  Has managed to hold onto what should be a strictly watermelon seat for over a decade.

    • Guest

      That’s why they voted for him…

      • Dion

        True.  It’s a valid strategy I guess :p

    • Liberty

      A watermelon  seat is
      an understatement. The Pinkos   were in a
      time warp.  

      National  was dog
      tucker since National made the right decision to close the rail and Cotton
      factory.

      Nick  Smith  might be a deluded Warmist  pinko. But has worked bloody hard  for Nelson.

  • Stuarts Burgers

    Cam but for your update at the end you would have been in for a good kicking.  Yes I work with Nicky and see the amount of work that she and her Electorate Office  team put in. It is in fact a team effort that produces the results, the staff in the Electorate Office can make or break it.
     An MP can set the tone but they do not have enough hours in the day to be dealing with problems that roll through the door but the Electorate Agents get to and help so many as they beaver away in the background.
     I know I am a bit off topic but I feel that the Electorate Office Staff should be acknowledged,  as well, and so in this case Heather, Nick, Karen, Josh, and Kirsten take a bow

  • Bunswalla

    Tony Ryall in Bay of Plenty is another hard-working ever-present MP who puts the miles in and supports every local event and cause he can. Doing that while handling the Health Portfolio – often a poisoned chalice – skillfully and without upsetting any of the “stakeholders” show real skill. Bay of Plenty is one of the bigger electorates geographically and requires a lot of effort.

  • AlexT

    I admired Damien O’Connor for sticking up for himself, dropping off the list and going for it in the electorate alone. That took some balls. Most of all for calling it like it is:
    “I wouldn’t trust them. Between a gaggle of gays and some self-serving
    unionists, I’m not sure that a straight shooter such as myself would be
    given a fair deal.”

    “straight shooter” cracks me up too.

  • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

    Kate Wilkinson should proably be added to the list as well just for beating the smile of Clayton Cosgrove’s dial.

  • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

    Kate Wilkinson should proably be added to the list as well just for beating the smile of Clayton Cosgrove’s dial.

  • Hyperguest

    My money’s on Kaye, with quinella for Paula B, they faced a left wing onslaught in their electorates and held them off.

  • Michael

    A more serious suggestion.  Chris Hipkins – while supposedly experienced campaigners and high fliers like Burns, Cosgrove, Ardern, Speuloni and Little all lost winnable marginal seats, Hipkins has made Rimutaka his seat for life by being an active and appreciated local MP.

  • RAS

     

    l wholly endorse Paula Bennett, she does have one of the
    difficult areas of government in her care and responsibility – throughout the
    Westie debacle she held her head high with dignity and poise and she is making
    strong inroads into exposing the abusers in our community and getting the long
    term beneficiaries off their butts! . 
    Also think that Nicky Wagner should be acknowledged she fought darned
    hard for nine years and was successful in unseating Labour in Central
    Christchurch a seat held for 60 years. 
    Not a bad effort.

  • Scott

    Personally Nick Smith but also Chris Tremain

  • pdm

    Hawkes Bay has been well served by ris Tremain and Craig Foss who both turned safe Labour seats into safe National seats – although they did get help from Cunliffe when he sacked the HBDHB.

    Obviously HP hasn’t got to this post yet so I will help her by pointing out her strong advocacy for Jacqui Dean.

  • Guest

    Jacqui Dean… as it’s easy to cover the largest general electorate in the country. Shame she didn’t get a Cabinet seatlike she was gunning for in the local rag.

  • Gazzaw

    Absolutely Sam Lotu Iiga & I say this as a Maungakiekie resident of 34 years who has seen this electorate transform from the Labour stronghold of Onehunga held in succession by Hugh Watt, Fred Gerbich, the tosspot trougher Richard Northey & the likeable Mark Gosche. Sam took the seat out in fine style as a rank outsider in 2008 by 1900 votes and increased his margin to almost 3000 in 2011. As a bonus he helped his good mate Alfred Ngaro into the house & enabled us to rid ourselves of detested unionist Carol Beaumont.

    Sam is often criticised for not performing to his utmost in order to secure promotion to ministerial ranks but the fact is that he spends far too much of his time doing what great constituency MPs do. His office door is invariably open and he lends his support regardless of race, colour or creed.

    I am not a Nat party member and have no barrow to push in promoting Sam for number one spot.
    I am a palangi who has no worries at all in nominating Sam for no other reason than he’s a real good bastard & a great MP.  

  • DT

    Hipkins did pretty extraordinary to retain Rimutaka by such a large margin despite Labour being whipped in the party vote. He worked his arse off for that electorate in the last three years. Like him or not, good on him.

  • Peter Wilson

    Surely it could only be John Banks.

    Despite the allegedly illegal taping of conversations and other skullduggery from Labour and the Greens, he managed to win his seat for ACT and provide National with a lifeline for an ongoing Center Right party.

    • Euan Rt

      Yes, but them maybe the award should go to John Key for extending the hand rather than to Banksie for shaking it?

  • Killjoy

    I hail from the land that doesn’t exist (North of the “Holiday Highway”) and Phil Heatley has delivered another great majority for his electorate… as well as holding the Fisheries and Housing portfolios he’s present at many local events- not just in the lead up to elections- despite being in one of the furthest electorates away from parliament.
    He has pushed for things to be done up here in the land NZ forgot.

    In saying all that, I’d nominate Nikki Kaye for her work in Akld Central- I’ve got many friends down there- and for holding off Ardern…

  • YNFEM

    Nikki Kaye dealt with over 8,000 constituency cases during her first three years in office, along with personally knocking on over 10,000 doors in the months leading up to the election. Many Labour or Greens voters in Auckland Central give their electorate votes to Nikki because they are incredibly impressed by all the hard work she does in the community. She also makes a point of being there for all her constituents – not just the National voters. Oh and she beat that foul stallion Jacinda! 

  • http://twitter.com/Mykuhl Michael Wagener

    I’d second the nomination for Sam Lotu-Iiga. I’m not a constituent anymore, but followed with interest because I was thoroughly impressed with him. He even managed to win one of the polling booths in Oranga, one of the poorest areas in Auckland. When a National MP can do that it tells how high a regard the local community hold him in.

  • Douglas Collis

    Paula Bennett fought against the Labour machine and won. She deserves everyone vote.