Wellington Central electorate

Wellington Central covers the inner suburbs of Thorndon, Northland, Kelburn, Highbury, Brooklyn, Mount Cook, Te Aro, Oriental Bay, Mount Victoria and parts of Wilton. It also includes Karori and Mākara Beach. The seat is currently held by Labour's Grant Robertson, who won safely with a margin of 18,878. Robertson is not standing again in 2023, but remains on Labour's list. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Wellington Central – 43% to Green's 30%. The seat was once held by Peter Fraser, New Zealand's 24th prime minister, who held the seat from 1918 to 1946.

Wellington Central candidates

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Taylor Arneil

NZ First

Not currently in parliament

Why I'm standing

I am standing for election because I believe that in the last three years NZ First and it's centralist, common sense, balanced policies have been sorely missed and that a lot of issues we are facing today – high Defence Force attrition, high inflation, the parliament occupation – would've been avoided if NZ First was in Cabinet.

About me

I have lived in Wellington since 2016 and I have a wealth of experience in working in central government and for local government. I understand how the system works and I believe that the most important thing in a democracy is to listen to what people are saying and then acting where you can to ensure that policies being enacted are going to help those being affected by the policies the most.

My priorities

  1. For Wellington ensure that Lets Get Wellington Moving doesn't leave a whole lot of people behind.
  2. Ensure that every policy enacted by government is designed to help people, not divide them.
  3. Ensure that students are able to start and complete their studies and get the support they need.

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

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Things to know...

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

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  • 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.