Election 2023: Voters weigh in on Labour's future in Mt Albert, Te Atatū

In Auckland, two of Labour's safest seats are on a knife edge with just a handful of votes between the leading candidates.

All eyes are on the thousands of special votes still to be counted which will determine which candidates take Mt Albert and Te Atatū.

Labour's 77-year grip on Mt Albert loosens

On Sunday Labour's Mt Albert candidate Helen White was just 106 votes ahead of National's Melissa Lee.

Labour had held the seat since it was first created in 1946.

One resident said the slim margin showed how many Aucklanders were fed up with Labour.

"I think it's a reflection after Labour had such a big majority how Aucklanders have felt from so many years of [being] locked down," he said.

"I'd like to see Melissa win it, she seems to be a good, honest, hard worker - give her a chance."

Some voters who had supported Labour in the past said they lost faith.

"I felt like Labour just hadn't done enough on the issues that were important to me, so I want to give the other guys a shot," said a resident who voted National.

He said it was hard to get truly invested. "In terms of the individual candidates, I didn't really have a passionate view."

Another decided to go further left. "I actually voted Green for the first time," she said. "I was disappointed with some of Labour's policies."

With special votes still to be counted, Mt Albert residents don't know what the future holds.

"I'm a little bit nervous that National will lose a seat," said one supporter, noting that special votes tended to skew left.

"I'm feeling confident," said a Labour voter. "But the surprising thing is Green has done really well and split the left vote."

National gains marginal lead in Te Atatū

National candidate Angee Nicholas was just 30 votes ahead of the current Te Atatū MP Phil Twyford.

Te Atatū resident Lena Henry said her community was changing. "We've always been a red electorate, so it was surprising to see the result last night," she said.

"I'm also mindful about the gentrification that has happened over the last two terms, there's been a change in the population."

Henry said her family cast special votes due to a fault in the system on election day. "I hope it counts towards the Labour Party," she said.

A resident loading groceries into her car at a Te Atatū supermarket said she decided to vote National after supporting Labour for years.

"I was hoping the margin would be larger, I just hope we don't have to have Winnie," she said.

"We were locked down too much, soft on crime, all that stuff."

She gestured to the supermarket: "Even this place gets burgled constantly."

Another voter said they wanted to support Twyford despite feeling underwhelmed by Labour's performance during the past term.

"I didn't necessarily think Labour managed to achieve a lot, because they had a lot on their plate," he said.

"But I saw [Twyford] out in the electorate doing work after all the flooding, so I wanted to give it to him just because of his hard work."

Waitākare Ward councillor Shane Henderson said Twyford had done a great job and hoped he would keep the seat.

"Phil has done a fantastic job as our local MP, and his out-performance of [Labour's] party vote here really reflects that as well."

Henderson said West Auckland appeared to have moved further right.

"It was an extremely close vote, I'll be waiting until specials come in before we call it," he said.

"We're still feeling cautiously optimistic, but I think there's a message in how close it is either way."

He said Te Atatū residents had plenty of legitimate concerns.

"There are numerous issues that are really tough for people," Henderson said.

"Mortgage prices going up, things like crime."

Henderson hoped whoever took the seat would work with Auckland Council to address those issues.

Special votes will be released by 3 November.