Photo credit: Mike Scott / NZ Herald
Tama Potaka has won Hamilton West in a landslide by-election victory for the National Party, flipping the seat previously held by Labour.
Potaka, who is from Ngāti Hauiti, Whanganui, Ngāruahine, Taranaki, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Whitikaupeka, defeated Labour's Georgie Dansey by a margin of 2285 votes, winning 6629 to 4344 votes.
Potaka told supporters on Saturday evening he would be a voice for the people of Hamilton West, "identify what needs to be done, work with people and get it done - that's really the mantra of what I stand for," a 1 News reports says.
The by-election followed the expulsion and subsequent resignation of the previous Labour MP for the seat, Gaurav Sharma.