Tim Dower: What do we read from the by-election itself?

So National won the by-election in Hamilton West...I don't think anyone's too surprised about that.

New MP Tama Potaka is with us after half past and he looks like a decent bloke from what I've seen...family man...and still young enough to give us a decent decade or so.

Question is what do we read from the by-election itself?

If the country really is raging against the current administration, would you maybe have expected a stampede to the polls to send that message?

Well, maybe...but by-elections don't spin people's wheels, and my read is that we're actually more sick and tired, than we are steaming mad right now.

Hence...less than 15 thousand bothered to vote...30-odd percent...against nearly 40 thousand in Hamilton West at the last general election.

The message...if there was a message was to the man who caused this million-dollar ferago...Dr Sharma.

1100 votes against the 20 thousand he had wearing a red rosette...pretty sad...and likely the last we'll hear from him on the political stage...good night and thank you.

And Act can afford to be pretty chuffed with their result...Act's share of the vote was triple what they got at the General Election.

It's less than a year to the next election and Labour looks to be gone...one commentator a few days ago was saying they know that, so they're engaged now in scorched earth tactics as they retreat.

So, while the Nats will tell us it's a serious spanking for the government, and a resounding endorsement of their plan for change...I'm not convinced.

And I'm not convinced yet that Christopher Luxon has what it takes...pleasant and reasonable is one thing...but he needs to crank it up.

Overall, reflecting on Hamilton West, change can't come soon enough.

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