NZ Election 2023

Nelson electorate

Nelson is currently held by Labour's Rachel Boyack, who won comfortably with a margin of 4,525. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Nelson – 54% to National's 21%. Nelson is the only electorate that has existed continuously since New Zealand's first parliament in 1854.

Nelson candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Jace Hobbs

Green Party

Bruce Dyer

Progressive Aotearoa New Zealand

Chris Baillie

ACT Party

Peter Vaughan

New Zealand Loyal

Blair Cameron

National Party

Rachel Boyack

Labour Party

Rachel Boyack

Labour Party

MP for Nelson

Why I'm standing

I want Nelson to be a place of opportunity for our young people, with decent jobs, education, health and housing for everyone who lives here. As your local MP I'm proud to have delivered on my promises for Nelson, including building more state and community houses, funding for our new Hospital and delivering better public transport. Tackling the cost of living and working to address climate change are priorities for me as your local MP.

About me

I have lived in Nelson for nearly 15 years, and have a strong track record of delivering for our community, from stopping course closures at NMIT to lifting wages for thousands of workers in Nelson, and securing funding for important Nelson projects like our new hospital and improved public transport. I previously volunteered on the boards of Nelson Women's Refuge and the Nelson Environment Centre, and hold a music degree from the University of Auckland.

My priorities

  1. Continue our work to rebuild Nelson Hospital, so all Nelsonians have access to quality healthcare.
  2. Continue Labour's work to build more affordable and state housing in Nelson.
  3. Fix the Richmond Transport Mess by building the Hope to Richmond Bypass.

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.