Labour's Tracey McLellan loses Banks Peninsula to National

Vanessa Weenink of the National Party has widened her initial lead to secure the Banks Peninsula seat with 396-vote margin.

This comes after an election night lead of only 77 votes over Labour's Tracey McLellan.

The seat has traditionally been a Labour stronghold since 1999, predominantly represented by Ruth Dyson.

This continued when the electoral boundaries shifted, forming the Port Hills electorate, until it was renamed as Banks Peninsula in 2020 when McLellan won with a substantial majority.

However, McLellan, who was also on Labour's list, has not managed to retain her parliamentary seat this time around.

This is attributed to Labour losing other key seats nationwide, which resulted in McLellan exiting the political stage along with a number of her party colleagues.

Weenink, set to take office as a fresh member of parliament, brings a wealth of experience from her medical career, having contributed as a general practitioner and holding a vice-chair position at the medical association.

Her record extends beyond the health sector, including over two decades in the New Zealand Army with tours in Afghanistan and East Timor.

Weenink's political journey includes prior affiliation with the Labour Party, which she represented before her candidacy with the National Party.