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Many Christchurch voters have welcomed Labor’s landslide election victory and those who did not vote in the red awaited the result.
Some longtime Ilam voters were also not surprised to see Gerry Brownlee lose his seat in the Ilam electorate for the first time since 1996. Instead, Labor’s Sarah Pallett took it.
Tattoo artist Scott Hawthorne, 40, voted for Labor and said he hoped the party would implement the Green Party’s proposed Rangiora to Ashburton rail service. “I think it’s the way to reopen the city center … suddenly you can afford an apple in Rakaia, get on the train and come to work every day.”
Ella Heselwood, a 19-year-old student and first-time voter, said she voted nationally and was not happy with the result. “My mother has 10 businesses, so [National] It benefits her, my family, and many other people I know. “
READ MORE:
* 2020 election: Sarah Pallett promises a ‘more inclusive’ style after defeating Gerry Brownlee at Ilam
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* Election 2020: National’s heart is swept away by a landslide victory for the left
* Election 2020: Jacinda Ardern claims biggest Labor victory in 50 years
Steve Quick, 54, who works as a purchasing officer and has lived in Ilam for 15 years, cast his electorate vote for Brownlee in 2017, but this time he backed Labor.
“I think with the earthquakes and everything that has happened here, I don’t think he has done enough for the area really, that’s what we feel anyway.”
Robert Janek, a 63-year-old man who works at KiwiRail and has lived in Ilam for 25 years, said it was time for a change. “I have been fighting for 10 years for my EQC and I say that Gerry did nothing for me,” he said.
Steven Walton / Stuff
Robert Janek said he voted for Gerry Brownlee in 2014 and used to be a national man.
Part of Labor’s popularity in Ilam could be attributed to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. 26-year-old student Greer Alsop and 62-year-old retired vintner Julian Smith live in Ilam and gave their two votes to Labor because of Ardern’s leadership.
However, Melisa Brakel, a stay-at-home mother of four from France, said she was shocked and “really devastated” by the loss of Brownlee. She thought she was doing a good job. “He was definitely a man for the people.”
Steven Walton / Stuff
Dawn Armor voted for ACT, but said it was not surprised to see a victory for Labor.
Labor was expected to win, but not everyone anticipated that the party would win enough seats to rule alone.
“She [Ardern] He’s had a good season and National has had a lot of problems, ”said Dawn Armor, 56. Regardless, he cast his vote for ACT because of its “forward-thinking” policies. He runs a small massage therapy business.
Truck driver Cory Sayers, 25, gave his two votes to Labor. “Work is for the people, National is not,” he said.
Steven Walton / Stuff
Cory Sayers thought that more people voted this year because of the cannabis referendum.
