Te Ururoa Flavell

It just doesn't happen in Māori politics.

Has she got any standing in the electorate or not?

I think she has, but the downside is she's got two other MPs, current MPs, Hulana Linton, as well as Willow-Jean Prime, and Māori Party haven't selected their candidate yet, so you've got four, probably women,

all who know each other, all probably related to each other, all want the same for our people.

They're just coming under a different political banner, and history says that probably when it gets to these sorts of situations, our people will go back to mothership, since they're Labour.

Labour and see what happens for another three years and then who knows what's going to happen after that.

Well, that's true, but it's all about numbers, as you know, and it could be if it's very tight and polls go up and down, but if it's very tight, just one or two parties could make the difference.

Small parties could make the difference.

In fact,

one or two individuals.

I mean, as my experience was, we had two MPs.

National Party just needed that guarantee to get them over the line to have stable government.

They asked myself and one other to be in there.

So, you know, just two individuals to make one hell of a difference as to whether you're going to be the government of the day.

And therefore, you know, she's got every chance as anybody else.

But the downside is people need to understand how the politics of it all rolls, and particularly on election night, because as I say,

If they put one or two people in the right place, then actually they could be the kingmaker.

I haven't heard anything whatsoever, but I suspect that he's independent as he sits.

I think he'll possibly stay there.

He hasn't got too many choices himself, and he finds himself in pretty much the same dilemma.