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
Dana Kirkpatrick
My priorities
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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 explainerEnrol 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.
