NZ Election 2026

East Cape electorate

East Cape covers the central North Island’s east coast centres, including towns such as Whakātane, Ōpotiki, and Gisborne. The electorate has been established for this election, however its predecessor East Coast electorate was won by National’s Dana Kirkpatrick by a margin of 17,007 votes. Kirkpatrick will stand for East Cape in 2026. The electorate previously existed between 1978 and 1990.

East Cape candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Jo Luxton

Labour Party

Darrin Hawkes

ACT Party

Cail Smith

Opportunity Party

Dana Kirkpatrick

National Party

Jordan Walker

Green Party

Cail Smith

Opportunity Party

Why I'm standing

I'm standing to champion a party that has the power to truly shake up politics in New Zealand. I was getting increasingly frustrated - like many New Zealanders - with the 3 year political football of big promises, poor delivery, blame the last guys, rinse, repeat. Opportunity represents a fresh take on politics. Pragmatic, not dogmatic. Sensible, not tribal. Future focused for all New Zealanders. I'm standing as a candidate to fight for the future.

About me

First and foremost - I'm a party vote only candidate. I absolutely believe I have the values, skills, and work ethic to represent my community - but for now I'm putting my all into supporting The Opportunity Party to maximise their party vote. At 33 on the list, this election is me putting my time and effort behind a party I truly believe will help Kiwis thrive, with or without me. Party vote Opportunity.

My priorities

  1. Make our tax system more modern by taxing work less and taxing land fairly.
  2. Build an infrastructure plan that will future proof our region, not just fix what's broken.
  3. Make energy abundance a national priority to ease the cost of living and protect our power grid.

Get across the policies, candidates and parties

Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2026 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.