Mike Williams’ predictions

Labour Party President made a number of predictions about marginal seats. Let’s see how they went:

Invercargill was a “reasonably safe” seat, Mr Williams said.

– National wins by 1,953

Mr Parker was in born Roxburgh which was in the middle of the Otago seat. “That whole area is absolutely booming under Labour.”

– National wins by 1,931

“It’s hard to see any good reason why Hamilton East would go back to National.”

– National wins by 5,223

Mr Williams said he would get back into Parliament as the MP for Aoraki.

“I think he’s got the numbers and so does he.”

– National wins by 6,616

Labour had conducted polling in Northcote and believed there was solid support for sitting MP Mrs Hartley.

– National wins by 2,359

Labour believes it could take two marginal seats off National.

One was Piako, which National MP Lindsay Tisch won over Sue Moroney in 2002 by 1621 votes.

– National wins by 7,788

The second was East Coast Bays which senior National MP and strategist Murray McCully defeated Labour candidate Hamish McCracken by 1534 votes to win.

“He now lives in Wellington. That’s well-known now (journalist) Jane Clifton admitted publicly that that’s the situation.

“Murray McCully is almost never seen in the electorate and he could be in with a very nasty surprise there.”

– National wins by 6,821

The only prediction Mr Williams seems to have got right was (sadly) Wellington Central.