Eight hopefuls: Meet your New England candidates | Feature

The incumbent Nationals MP, Barnaby Joyce, is seeking to be re-elected for his third term.

He'll face off against three independents in Adam Blakester, Rob Taber and Natasha Ledger, Labor candidate Yvonne Langenberg, the Clive Palmer-backed Cindy Duncan, the Greens' Tony Lonergan and the Christian Democrats' Julie Collins.

While he enjoys a healthy margin of more than 23 per cent, Mr Joyce said he "never takes anything for granted".

"I always campaign like I'm one point behind," he said.

Besides standing on his "record of delivering", his campaign strategy is simple - "run the wheels off the truck" in an effort to get around the electorate this election campaign.

"I know New England and I know where I need to be," he said.

Mr Joyce wasn't even phased when Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Michael McCormack abandoned his visit to the electorate.

"To be frank, I prefer to do it by myself, talking to people without a camera in my face or a reporter behind me," Mr Joyce said.

"You can actually sit down at the kitchen table with people and say, 'what are the issues, how can I do a better job, what's worked'."

He says the rising cost of living is the common thread across the electorate.

"For some it's their power bill, for others it's the drought and water infrastructure," the MP said.

"For small businesses it's making sure the area grows, it's making sure producers get the best price for their commodities."

The candidate most likely to challenge Mr Joyce is Uralla-based Independent Adam Blakester.

By his own definition, Mr Blakester is a man of many hats, having worked across "finance, business, environmental, social and community areas over the last 30 years, from local through to international roles".

And while he's worked "alongside thousands of politicians and hundreds of government departments", he's never been directly involved in politics.

"I've never been a member of a party and I've not worked inside government," Mr Blakester said.

He's stripping his campaign right down to a grassroots level, and based his policy platform off more than "5000 one-on-one conversations" with individuals across the electorate.

Mr Blakester said he'd heard from two broad groups - those that lived in cities and those in smaller towns or farms.

"For those living in cities, there are range of issues there around economic development and diversification, infrastructure, services and the future of work," Mr Blakester said.

"The others in the small towns and the farming districts, their concerns revolve around water, drought and climate change.

"And where the two groups cross over is in the opportunities around renewable energy.

"Getting on the front foot for renewable development provides both job opportunities and a climate change strategy."

Mr Blakester said this election, voters had the opportunity to "vote for a positive change for the electorate".

"A huge amount has happened since the by-election, particularly the long list of failures and scandals which have become public about the incumbent member," he said.

"The New England needs a respectful, trustworthy and effective political representative and leader."

Armidale businessman Rob Taber, who owns New England Solar, has once again decided to run as an Independent.

It's his fourth time standing, and he said all the issues he'd been campaigning on since his first time around were still there.

He said planning to drought-proof the region was not beyond the capabilities of the federal government.

"Yet nothing appears to have been attempted," Mr Taber said.

"The New England is suffering and with no real plans to tackle the horrors of climate change currently being addressed by the federal government, it looks like a very dry future.

"Youth unemployment is a major problem right across the electorate. We've got to develop and create jobs into the future."

While climate change has become a "catch phrase and a turn off", Mr Taber said there was still a need for "sustainability and change".

Labor has traditionally struggled to get a foothold in the electorate, but the party's New England candidate, Yvonne Langenberg, said there was a mood for change.

Her motto is: "A new direction for the New England".

"The courage, determination and can-do attitude of people in this region is disregarded by the National Party resulting in neglect of important issues," she said.

"I have a vision that New England can return to the prosperity it once enjoyed by linking all the small towns and urban centres in a productive way by revitalising transport connections that have been allowed to wither and die."

With her background as a nurse, healthcare is among her big priorities, as is education and infrastructure.

Julie Collins will represent the Christian Democratic Party (CDP).

An ordained minister with experience in social justice and welfare, tourism and the environment, she was inspired to stand by her experience leading a prayer group and helping people through their traumatic experiences.

"I am dissatisfied with the genuine needs of people, including country people, being overlooked for big city agendas and short-term popular fixes being put forward rather than long-term vision being focused on," Ms Collins said.

"We need to focus on prevention as well as treatment. While we focus only on treatment the problems will not go away."

Mr Joyce has already indicated the CDP will get his first preference, bucking the Coalition's deal with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party (UAP), however Ms Collins is yet to decide where her preferences will go.

Glen Innes-based domestic violence advocate Cindy Duncan is standing for the UAP, and said it was "a shame to see New England suffering".

"We are in a mess," Ms Duncan said.

"There's no denying that and it's simple really: I want to help our people.

"That is why I became a member of the UAP. We believe in this country and we believe in Australians.

"Our farmers, grain growers, sheep herders, nurses, teachers and our pensioners: we all are struggling. I will deliver practical solutions for our electorate. It's time to put our people and communities first."

Aberdeen teacher and "cattle farmer without cattle", Tony Lonergan will fly the flag for the Greens, after standing for the party in the recent state election for the seat of Upper Hunter.

He said the biggest issue facing the electorate is climate change.

As a science teacher, he understands why it's happening, and as a farmer, he's felt the effects - the Aberdeen cattle farmer had to get rid of all his stock a year ago, as he struggled to feed them.

"I've been through droughts before but this one has been different," he said.

"I've never been completely de-stocked before, and I've never seen my neighbours do so either.

"I wanted to run federally because, apart from Tony Abbott, no one has done more to prevent action on climate change than Barnaby Joyce.

"At the [New England] by-election, I went to an event Barnaby Joyce was at in Scone.

"I asked him about climate change and he just fobbed it off and basically refused to answer the question."

Uralla councillor Natasha Ledger has thrown her hat in the ring as an Independent, because the "electorate is presently under-represented and mostly misrepresented".

"Community growth has been stunted and overall vision for growth (is) lacking by the present leadership," Ms Ledger said.

"Federally speaking, I have identified varying cost shifting aspects placed on local councils.

"I understand the need for water reform."