The Mana Party has confirmed Annette Sykes as its candidate to contest the Waiariki Maori seat in the general election.
The party says it received no other other nominations for the Bay of Plenty electorate.
Ms Sykes, a prominent lawyer and the party's co-vice president, was launching her campaign at Otaramarae on the shores of Lake Rotoiti on Thursday.
The seat is held by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell, who won the electorate in 2008 with a majority of 6812 over the Labour candidate.
Ms Sykes says she will fight on a variety of issues including abolishing GST, creating full employment for everyone and better housing for families.
She says they're national issues which affect local people, and she will be putting forward detailed ideas for getting more Bay of Plenty people into work.
She'd like to see young people working in schools, doing projects such as building swimming pools, so more children have the opportunity to learn to swim.
Ms Sykes has criticised the Maori Party over its stance on several issues, including the foreshore and seabed, GST and oil exploration.
Ms Sykes says she feels personally let down by Mr Flavell, of whom she was once a backer.
