Labour has released its candidate list for the November election, featuring 30 new faces.
On Monday, party president Jill Day said they were “proud” of the diversity and “depth of talent” on the list.
“We represent our whole community with the skills and life experiences we need to bring real progressive change… Our moderating team had a difficult time putting the list together.”
“We have so many talented people in the Labour Party… We have a list that looks like Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Party leader Chris Hipkins said assembling the list had been a difficult process.
“There’s two Rhodes scholars and two Fulbright scholars – a couple of them are standing behind me, actually – and a variety of experiences in all of our communities up and down New Zealand, from business to farming to the community sector to the public sector.”
“Right the way through, you will see a really rich diversity of candidates that we are putting forward.”
Labour’s 2026 list:
1. Chris Hipkins
2. Carmel Sepuloni
3. Barbara Edmonds
4. Willie Jackson (up from 5)
5. Megan Woods (down from 4)
6. Ayesha Verrall
7. Willow-Jean Prime (up from 8)
8. Vanushi Walters (up from 12)
9. Cushla Tangaere-Manuel (up from 20)
10. Kieran McAnulty (down from 7)
11. Rachel Brooking (up from 17)
12. Ginny Andersen (down from 9)
13. Rakesh Naidoo – new candidate
14. Tangi Utikere (down from 11)
15. Jan Tinetti (down from 10)
16. Damien O’Connor (up from 18)
17. Jo Luxton (down from 15)
18. Priyanca Radhakrishnan (down from 14)
19. Shanan Halbert (up from 28)
20. Chris Flatt – new candidate
21. Reuben Davidson (down from 13)
22. Kingi Kiriona – new candidate
23. Camilla Belich (down from 19)
24. Jenny Salesa (down from 23)
25. Glen Bennett (down from 21)
26. Sophie Handford – new candidate
27. Deborah Russell (down from 16)
28. Tracey McLellan (down from 22)
29. Max Harris – new candidate
30. Warrick Cleine – new candidate
31. Ibrahim Omer – returning candidate, lost Wellington Central, listed at 37th in 2023.
32. Anae Neru Leavasa – returning candidate, lost Takanini listed at 48th in 2023
33. Georgie Dansey (down from 32)
34. Te Pūoho Kātene – new candidate
35. Naisi Chen – returning list candidate, listed at 33 in 2023.
36. Dan Rosewarne (down from 31)
37. Rachel Boyack (down from 27)
38. Helen White (down from 30)
39. Ingrid Leary (down from 31)
40. Phil Twyford (down from 25)
41. Arena Williams (down from 24)
42. Lemauga Lydia Sosene (down from 31)
43. Kerrin Leoni – new candidate
44. Toni Boynton – returning candidate, lost Waiariki, listed at 39th in 2023
45. Hannah Pia Baral – new candidate
46. Angela Roberts – returning candidate, lost Taranaki-King Country, listed at 35th in 2023
47. Estefania Muller-Palarés – returning candidate, lost Whangaparaoa, listed at 55th in 2023.
48. Anahila Kanongata’a – returning candidate, lost Papakura, listed at 34th in 2023
49. Gary Payinda – new candidate
50. Alex Hedley – new candidate
51. Craig Renney – new candidate
52. George Hampton – returning candidate, lost North Shore, listed at 41st in 2023
53. Dominik Yanzick – new candidate
54. Rory Paterson – new candidate
55. Ashleigh Latimer – new candidate
56. Rata Jamieson – new candidate
57. Naresh Perinpanayagam – new candidate
58. Peter McDonald – new candidate
59. Amanda Clinton-Gohdes – new candidate
60. Myra Williamson – returning candidate, lost Hamilton West, listed at 62nd in 2023
61. Kharag Singh – returning candidate, lost Botany listed at 66th in 2023
62. Janice Lee – new candidate
63. Sam Collins – new candidate
64. Sange Malama – new candidate
65. Rhieve Grey – new candidate
66. Karl Severinsen – new candidate
67. Henrietta Hunkin-Tagaloa – new candidate
68. Fisher Wang – new candidate
69. Brendan McEnroe – new candidate
70. Campbell Matthews – new candidate
71. David Pattemore – new candidate
72. Nathaniel Howe – new candidate
In a statement, Day said New Zealanders are facing tough times and deserve a team on their side. She said the candidates being put forward are focused on making sure that hard work in New Zealand leads to getting ahead, and that people can afford to live and build a future at home.
“National promised to fix the economy and the cost of living. They’ve made both worse. This election is a choice: a government focused on itself or a team focused on the people of New Zealand,” Day added.