In a peculiar anomaly of New Zealand politics, the Greens haven't had any lawmakers of Indian or Chinese descent in their ranks in the party's three-decade history.
In fact, the party was the last major political party to have any Asian representation in the Beehive, with former Iranian refugee Golriz Ghahraman becoming a list MP for the party in 2017.
National, Labour, ACT and New Zealand First have all had Indian or Chinese MPs in their line-ups since Pansy Wong entered Parliament in 1996.
However, this might change on 14 October. Based on current polling, the party's only Chinese-origin candidate, Lawrence Xu-Nan, ranked 16 on the list, has a realistic chance to sneak in. Xu-Nan missed out in 2020 when he had stood for the Pakuranga electorate and was ranked 17.
"The Green Party doesn't believe in the tokenistic approach that some parties have in terms of Asian representation," he says, defending his party's position. "Our candidates are chosen by the broad membership base, with focus on lived experiences in the communities they represent and the ability to voice their opinions without always looking at the party leadership. So while it may have taken a little longer for the Greens, we now have nine candidates of Asian descent on our party list this time."
Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
But why switch from Pakuranga, which has a substantial Chinese population, to battle it out for Epsom this time around?
According to the Electoral Commission's profile, Epsom is the smallest and wealthiest electorate in the country, mainly comprising of middle-aged professionals.
The 2018 census showed the electorate has the highest proportion among general electorates of those who earn more than $150,000 per year (40.8 percent).
The electorate has elected ACT Party candidates since 2005. First, it was Rodney Hide from 2005 to 2011, then John Banks for a single term, followed by party leader David Seymour, who has held the seat since 2014.
National has given ACT a free pass in the electorate since 2008, when then-party leader John Key appealed to the voters to give their electorate vote to Hide.
National leader Christopher Luxon has indicated an end to that deal, with its candidate Paul Goldsmith campaigning hard this time. The contest may split some of the right-leaning party votes, but whether it will help the left claw back some ground remains to be seen.
In 2020, Seymour won the seat with a margin of 9224 votes. The Greens have attracted close to 3000 electorate votes and close to 4000 party votes in recent elections.
Xu-Nan knows this - that's why the campaign has focused on the party vote.
"Do note, though, Epsom has had one of the top voter turnouts for the Green Party in past elections because there are a lot of young people here who are really aware of climate change and the affect it will have on their future," he says.
Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
But how do the Greens fight big money?
Since the start of 2021, National and ACT have raised a combined total of more than $12 million, while Labour and Green have barely touched $2.5 million.
"Our strength is our volunteers and the grass-roots campaign we run, especially this year," says Nicole Falconer, campaign field coordinator of the Greens.
Xu-Nan agrees.
"No amount of donation is going to prevent voters to go out and vote for the party with values aligning theirs," he says.
The Green candidate has been actively courting the Chinese community across Auckland and claims it has made a difference.
"Greens' support has increased quite significantly ever since we started our campaign few months back," he says. "Our focus on social responsibility and ecological wisdom is appealing to everyone. I am convinced our socially progressive climate change policies are the best solution for the Chinese communities of New Zealand."
He also rejects claims the Chinese community doesn't care about climate change.
"They do and are aware of it," he says. "When we go into the community and talk about China's sponge city model [contemporary ways to prevent flooding, cut emissions and promote biodiversity], people acknowledge us."
A question that comes up frequently is the increased scrutiny New Zealand's Chinese community has faced in recent years.
All former and current MPs - Labour's Raymond Huo and Naisi Chen as well as National's Jian Yang - have all faced accusations of fostering cosy ties with Beijing.
"I work in international education and see this (increased scrutiny) happening a lot with my students," he says. "Not only from China, but from other countries as well including Vietnam. This mainly happens because of a lack of understanding of how those societies operate. There is a lot of misunderstanding.
"It's up to me and other candidates of colour to work with New Zealand authorities, including Immigration New Zealand, to address these prejudices."
Stay up to date with Checkpoint's live election night special with Lisa Owen, Corin Dann, Jane Patterson and reporters around the country from 7pm to midnight on Saturday, running alongside live data and blogging with electorate and party vote results on RNZ's website. RNZ Asia will also be running its own live blog in Chinese.
实时更新报道， 尽在RNZ中文！ 本周六（10月14日大选日当天)下午5点起，以中文实时追踪2023年新西兰大选，各党票数、全国选情 、计票进展与最终结果，第一手资讯尽在 www.rnz.co.nz/chinese。 本周六，我们与您一同关注大选。
Then on Sunday, stay tuned for the Morning Report special from 8am to 10am, examining the results, the drama, and the changes from the night before: with polls this close, exactly who's in government will likely come down to negotiations.
