Has Shane Jones given up on Northland?

The NZ First MP and minister is one of the key players in the party's election hopes. He is contesting the Northland electorate, a seat the party may need to win if they can't reach the 5 per cent vote threshold to make it back into Parliament. 

However, speaking to Newshub Nation, Jones admitted that he does not have the "mana" of his leader Winston Peters to secure the victory 

"I do believe I can be a bit of a magnet up north, but in order to achieve the perpetuation of our political movement in Parliament, we need to gather votes from everywhere."

The answer raised questions about Jones' commitment to the seat - but Peters told The Weekend Collective that that is not the case. 

"What he said was he is not the sole magnitude to harvest votes for New Zealand First." 

However, former minister Peter Dunne told The Weekend Collective that it is a fair admission from Jones that he can't win the seat. 

"I think Jones has admitted the thing that people have begun to suspect anyway that's he not going to win Northland. It requires hardwork and he is a well-known stranger to that."

Dunne says it is difficult to imagine NZ First getting to 5 per cent in the current environment. 

Peters was also grilled about his interview with Jack Tame - and whether or not he intentionally called the Q&A host 'James'. 

The Deputy PM confirmed that he intentionally misnamed him, and that he had other names in mind!

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