NZ Election 2023

Whanganui electorate

Whanganui is currently held by Labour's Steph Lewis, who won comfortably with a margin of 8,191. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Whanganui – 51% to National's 26%. The electorate has existed since the third parliament in 1860 and has changed hands more 23 times between members of more than six parties – including New Zealand's eighth prime minister Julius Vogel.

Whanganui candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Steph Lewis

Labour Party

Sandra Kyle

Animal Justice Party

Carl Bates

National Party

Marion Sanson

Green Party

William Arnold

NZ First

Craig Dredge

ACT Party

Steph Lewis

Labour Party

MP for Whanganui

Why I'm standing

I believe in a New Zealand where everyone gets a fair go. To me that means jobs that pay a living wage; a quality education for every child; access to healthcare; that everyone has a healthy, affordable home; and that we are protecting our environment for future generations.

About me

I grew up in the communities of Whanganui and South Taranaki, which has given me an understanding of the unique needs of our provincial and rural communities. I've spent my career focused on helping people, which has given me the skills and experience to be a strong advocate for our communities. As an MP I've delivered more infrastructure funding, commitments on housing, and helped communities engage successfully with government.

My priorities

  1. Continue to advocate for initiatives that will reduce the cost of living for kiwis.
  2. Continue to push for more affordable and healthy homes to be built in our electorate.
  3. Continue to partner with our food and fibre sector to help them become more sustainable producers.

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.