Lapwood was succeeded by his party colleague Paul East in the . East also served six parliamentary terms until 1996. With the advent of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting in , the Rotorua electorate was greatly expanded to include areas previously part of the and electorates. Both Tarawera and Rotorua were safe National Party electorates, and in the ensuing battle for the nomination, the two incumbents, East and Max Bradford, faced off for a Rotorua nomination eventually secured by Bradford, with East securing a high list position.