West Coast's likely new electorate MP is shocked at her own upset win over Labour's longtime holder of the seat.
Maureen Pugh - the self-described "yo-yo" MP - has twice before been elected to Parliament on the National Party list on election night, lost her spot once the special votes were counted, then entered Parliament when someone else quit.
"The last term is the only time I started at the beginning," she told Checkpoint on Monday - having made it in on the list in 2020, but only just.
"My claim to fame in that one is that I replaced an ambassador who went off to Washington (Tim Groser, 2016), and I replaced a prime minister when Bill English resigned (2018)."
But National's electrifying return to form on Saturday night saw it capture several seats previously considered safe for Labour, West Coast-Tasman among them. Aside from a single term (2008-11), the seat had been held by Damien O'Connor since 1996.
Not bad for an MP once described as "f***ing useless" by her former boss.
"Well, that's not the descriptor I would use," she said. "But it is a very good lesson for anyone that thinks that this place is an easy win. It is not - you have to put in the time, you have to be connected to your communities and you have to be seen to be sticking up for them.
"And I've done that for a very long time and nowhere have I been, has anyone ever been able to question my loyalty."
Pugh was 915 votes ahead on the preliminary election night count. Once the full count is done, including the special votes, Labour typically sees its share increase - so Pugh was staying grounded.
"I've spent such a long time as a list MP and yeah, just to feel now that actually you know, I'm now the electorate MP, it is a bit surreal.
"I've been talking to a couple of the candidates that missed out last election, 2020 - the, the majority increased for the Labour candidate by, you know, 1800, 1600 votes. So, you know, let's just not get ahead of myself.
Maureen Pugh. Photo: Newshub
"We'll just keep our fingers and toes crossed and, hopefully it all, just carries on. But, a reality check is that it could change."
If her thunder is stolen and O'Connor returns as the West Coast-Tasman MP, Pugh will still be an MP courtesy of National's striking election result - despite being ranked 26th.
"Back on the list is, you know, it's always an incredible honour - but to represent in the electorate, your own communities, is very, very special.
"And, you know, I dearly have, would have loved to have had that in the past and I've now got it at my fingertips and I'm hanging on to it by my fingertips and, you know, let's just hope that in a couple of weeks it all settles down and we can get on with the job."
The final count will be known by 3 November.
