Labour’s Dominik Yanzick has thanked Wigram voters after defeating National’s Tracy Summerfield in a closely contested election, retaining the Christchurch seat for Labour.

Yanzick received 15,086 votes, or 44.6 percent, compared with Summerfield’s 13,151 votes, or 38.9 percent, giving him a preliminary majority of 1,935 votes.

Green Party candidate Shreejan Pandey finished third with 2,215 votes.

Yanzick will succeed longtime Labour MP Megan Woods, who decided not to contest the electorate again and instead stood on the party list.

In a Facebook post following the result, Yanzick said he was honoured to have been elected.

“It is an incredible privilege to represent our community, and a responsibility I will never take lightly. Thank you for placing your trust in me.”

The victory comes after significant changes to Wigram’s electoral boundaries, with traditionally Labour voting areas including parts of Spreydon and Addington removed, while communities including Prebbleton, Templeton and West Melton were brought into the electorate.

The changes, combined with Woods’ departure as the electorate MP, made Wigram a closely watched contest.

When interviewed by chrislynchmedia.com, Yanzick was clear that retaining the seat would require considerable effort.

“Wigram has never been given to us. Through Megan and Jim (Anderton), they always had to work for Wigram.”

“Billboards are great and they look good, but they are just the stuff on the margins. The door knocking and talking to people and going to community events is the main sort of meat of it.”

During that interview, Yanzick identified the cost of living as the biggest issue facing local households, followed by health and housing.

Originally from rural North Otago, Yanzick has worked in farming, construction, manufacturing and information technology, including IT project management and enterprise architecture.

His election continues a long political history for the electorate, previously represented by Jim Anderton from 1996 until 2011, when Woods succeeded him.

“I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of Jim Anderton and Megan Woods, and I will do my very best to carry forward their outstanding legacy of service to our community.”

Yanzick also thanked his campaign volunteers, who had spent months knocking on doors, distributing campaign material and organising community events.

“I am beyond grateful for everything you have done. I quite simply could not have done this without you.”

He finished his message with a commitment to residents who had supported other candidates.

“Whether you voted for me or not, I will work hard every day to earn your trust and be a strong voice for Wigram.”

The result remains preliminary, with special votes still to be included in the official count, due on 27 November.