 That month, incumbent Labour Party MP Mark Gosche, who held a majority of over 6,000 votes, announced he would stand down from the seat in the forthcoming general election.In April Lotu-Iiga defeated two other National Party nominees for the selection on the first ballot.While the electoral boundaries for Maungakiekie had changed, removing Otahuhu, the new boundary included the new suburbs of Royal Oak, Onehunga and Point England, which were considered to heavily favour the Labour Party.