Ōhariu is an electorate in the northern suburbs of Wellington. The electorate, under a variety of names, has been held by Peter Dunne since 1984.
Dunne was first elected in 1984 as a Labour MP. Dunne left Labour in 1994 and has been re-elected six times as a minor party candidate, first for the United party and then for United Future. Dunne has served as a minister since 2005, first in the Labour-led government and then in the National-led government since 2008.
At all but one election, Dunne’s party has polled less than 5% nationally, meaning that the party has relied on Dunne’s victory in his local electorate to remain in Parliament. The National Party has agreed to run a low-key campaign in Ōhariu in the hope of re-electing Dunne to Parliament.
