NZ Election 2020: National Party selects Emma Mellow as Auckland Central candidate

Emma Mellow.
Emma Mellow. Photo credit: Supplied

Emma Mellow has been selected as the National Party's Auckland Central candidate.

The selection comes after current Auckland Central and National MP Nikki Kaye announced in July she would leave Parliament at the election.

In her electorate, Mellow will come up against Labour candidate Helen White, and current MPs Chlöe Swarbrick from the Greens and Jenny Marcroft from New Zealand First.

Mellow was an active member in the Young Nats, and had previously worked at Sydney Airport as a communications advisor and is currently a senior communications advisor at ANZ.

At Monday night's announcement, she said she's "delighted" to be the candidate.

"I've been really lucky to be involved in the National Party for 12 years. I've been a volunteer and I've been proudly supporting Nikke Kaye for that time, and I hope that my loyalty to the party and my ambition for the National Party got me across the line tonight."

She says the next five weeks before the election will be "difficult", but she'll work "tirelessly" to win the seat for National.

"I think it's going to be a tight race, but I'll be working really hard to get out there and win votes."

Mellow says for people that don't know who she is, she's a "young, liberal woman" who lives in the Auckland Central electorate.

"I'm a young professional, I live in an apartment with my fiance Chris and I'm passionate about our country, and that's why I want to be in politics."

Mellow wouldn't say whether her being young and liberal made her a "Nikki Kaye 2.0", but says she will be working closely to Kaye's legacy since she was an "amazing" representative for the electorate.

She added she will start door knocking and campaigning for votes on Tuesday.