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.
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
I believe NZ needs to become a fully self determining democratic republic within the next few years. No other party takes this ideal seriously and I will spend my time helping New Zealanders grow up and progress beyond their political immaturity.
I have persevered for many years in Hamilton supporting the disadvantaged and despairing in our society. This gives me real insight in how to uplift everyday people and help them improve their quality of life. This experience will empower me to address important human issues when I become influential.
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.
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