NZ Election 2023

Hamilton East electorate

Hamilton East covers the inner city and suburbs east of the Waikato River and runs from Flagstaff in the north to Riverlea in the south. The seat is currently held by Labour's Jamie Strange, who won comfortably with a margin of 2,973. Strange is not standing again in 2023. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Hamilton East – 49% to National's 27%. Together with its sister seat Hamilton West the electorate is historically considered a bellwether with the winning party going on to form a government.

Hamilton East candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Russelle Knaap

NZ First

Himanshu Parmar

ACT Party

Ryan Hamilton

National Party

Tanya Ban

New Zealand Loyal

Jacobus Gielen

Republic of New Zealand Party

Nathan Lee Couper

New World Order McCann Party

Lily Carrington

Animal Justice Party

Awatea Parker

Te Pāti Māori

Alex Corkin

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

Georgie Dansey

Labour Party

Georgie Dansey

Labour Party

Not currently in parliament

Why I'm standing

I started my career as a secondary teacher, at a low decile high school in the Waikato. 15 years later, I'm standing for the Labour party based on the values that brought me to teaching. The values of equity and fairness and the importance that all our people have access to good quality education, housing and health.

About me

I'm a Hamiltonian! I work here, I live here, I'm raising my kids here. I'm a small business owner so I understand what it takes to run a business in Aotearoa. I'm also a union chief executive, so I see the importance of good pay and conditions for employees. I'm committed to strengthening our communities in Kirikiriroa, and giving everyone a fair deal.

My priorities

  1. A world class education system.
  2. Encouraging innovation and supporting businesses to thrive.
  3. A sustainable future.

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.