NZ Election 2023

Bay of Plenty electorate

Bay of Plenty is currently held by National's Todd Muller, who won comfortably with a margin of 3,415. Muller is not standing again in 2023. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Bay of Plenty – 43% to National's 32%. National have held the seat for all but six years since 1941.

Bay of Plenty candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Pare Taikato

Labour Party

Taupo Wahed

Independent

Wendy Gillespie

Leighton Baker Party

Tom Rutherford

National Party

Kirsten Murfitt

NZ First

Cameron Luxton

ACT Party

Matthew Macmillan

Green Party

Caitlin Grattan

Animal Justice Party

Tom Rutherford

National Party

Not currently in parliament

Why I'm standing

I'm running to be the Bay of Plenty MP so I can be a strong and influential advocate for our local community. Having been born and raised here, I'm committed to our community and I'm proud to call it home. As Bay of Plenty locals, we want our community to be the best and safest in New Zealand with a strong economy, a lower cost of living, resilient infrastructure, improved health services, world-class education and affordable housing.

About me

I'm deeply involved in our local community, including as a volunteer firefighter with the Mount Maunganui Fire Station, Greerton Cricket Club captain and a New Zealand hockey umpire and Bay of Plenty rugby referee. I have work experience in local government, policy, communications and media. Most recently I worked for the Mayor of Rotorua, Tania Tapsell.

My priorities

  1. Rebuild the economy to reduce the cost of living.
  2. Build infrastructure for growth. SH29 and completing the Tākitimu Northern Link to Ōmokoroa.
  3. Restore law and order, back Police, combat youth offending, and real consequences for crime.

Get across the policies, candidates and parties

Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2023 general election. Compare the parties, candidates and policies to see where you stand.

Policies

Compare the parties’ positions on the key issues this election

Candidates

See the electorate candidates running in your local area

Parties

Learn about each political party, its leaders and candidate list

Things to know...

Your two votes shape New Zealand’s next parliament. You need to be enrolled to vote.

Read explainer

  • Enrol to vote by Sunday 25 October

    You need to be enrolled before you can vote. You can enrol online at vote.nz.

  • Voting day is Saturday 7 November

    Head to your nearest voting place on the day, or vote early from 26 October.

  • You get two votes

    One for a party (the party vote) and one for a person in your area (the electorate vote).

  • Your party vote is the most powerful

    It decides how many seats each party gets in Parliament. That’s what Policy helps you figure out.