Eight new faces in Labour's list

Former Families Commissioner and Race Relations Conciliator Rajen Prasad is virtually assured of becoming an MP with a high placing on Labour's list.

Dr Prasad has been ranked at number 12 on the list, just announced in Auckland.

He is the highest ranked non-MP, and though not contesting an electorate seat, will enter Parliament after the election unless Labour's vote suffers a major melt down.

Other high ranked non-MPs are Jacinda Ardern, a 28-year-old presently living in London, where she is a senior policy advisor in the British Home Office.

Lawyer and writer Raymond Huo is at 21, former world head of policy for charity Oxfam, Phil Twyford is at 26, Council of Trades Union Secretary Carol Beaumont 28 and school principal Kelvin Davis, 29.

All are list only except Ms Beaumont, who is likely to win the Maungakiekie seat presently held by Mark Gosche, who is standing down, and Mr Davis, who faces an uphill battle to take Te Tai Tokerau off the Maori Party's Hone Harawira.

There is bad news, however, for some of Labour's old school including Mark Burton, Mahara Okeroa, Martin Gallagher, Dave Hereora and Louisa Wall, who are ranked respectively from 39 to 43 and either without constituency seats or facing a major struggle to hold the ones they have.