Meka Whaitiri's defection from Labour has thrown wide open the contest for the normally safe Labour seat of lkaroa-Rawhiti.
Ms Whaitiri remains in Parliament as an independent MP - but intends to contest her seat, which spans much of the east of the North Island, for Te Pati Maori.
It's also focused attention on Labour's Maori caucus, which now faces some close races in several Maori electorates.
RNZ Māori news editor Jamie Tahana has the story.
