Emergency medicine specialist Gary Payinda has been chosen as Labour’s candidate for Whangārei, a seat currently represented by National’s Shane Reti, who is also a doctor.
Payinda said his motivation to enter politics comes from a desire to counter the coalition government’s plans to privatise key public services like healthcare and education. He said he wanted to help make a change in the 2026 election to prevent the coalition government from being re-elected.
“With another three years of this, we will have such an erosion of public services that New Zealand will be largely unrecognisable in terms of education, healthcare, housing and worker protections,” Payinda said.
Payinda, who has worked in Whangārei Hospital’s busy emergency department, described the role as the “best job imaginable” even though it has been challenging due to ongoing staff shortages.
He has also served as both an assisted dying doctor and the medical director of Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
Payinda has voiced full support for Labour’s capital gains tax, which aims to tax profits from investment and commercial property to fund three free GP visits each year for every New Zealander.
He said the policy would be a “game-changer in healthcare,” saying it will help people access care earlier and prevent conditions from worsening to the point of hospitalisation.
“It’s a privilege to live and work in Northland, but over the past two years I’ve watched the national government drive inequity, undercut public health and make visiting the doctor more expensive and out of reach for many people,” Payinda said.
“I believe in equity for all and in the social good that Labour has always stood for – policies that benefit every New Zealander, regular Kiwis, the regular person, not just those at the top.”
“I understand how government policies and public services can literally transform lives.”