NZ Election 2026

Port Waikato electorate

Port Waikato covers much of southern Auckland and north Waikato, including the major settlements of Pukekohe, Waiuku and Te Kauwhata. The electorate has been held by National’s Andrew Bayly since its creation in 2020, who is retiring this election. In 2023, the death of ACT party candidate Neil Christensen caused the candidate election to be cancelled, and in a subsequent by-election Bayly was elected with 76% of the vote (though New Zealand First was the only major party to contest the by-election). National won the party vote in 2023, with 50% of the vote, followed by Labour with 19%.

Port Waikato candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Matthew Paul

National Party

Carl Morgan

Green Party

Sarah Jane Lochead-Macmillan

ACT Party

Casey Costello

NZ First

Matt Brachi

Labour Party

Matthew Paul

National Party

Why I'm standing

I want to represent the Port Waikato community where I have grown up, worked and raised my children. I want to support Port Waikato to grow, providing more opportunities for our people to live and work locally, championing the strengths and ever-increasing economic potential of our incredible community. One of the keys to this success is streamlining regulation, right sizing local and central government, while also supporting balanced development to occur in the right places.

About me

I was born in Bombay, grew up in South Auckland, having lived and worked in our community for my adult life. I initially trained as an arborist, starting my first business at the age of 23, servicing our community. For the last 12 years, I have worked and led an environmental consultancy firm, solving complex issues in land development and infrastructure. I am a business leader with a skill set built on practical experience.

My priorities

  1. Support and advocate for equitable health services for both our rural and urban communities.
  2. Work to support the improved alignment of emergency service boundaries across Port Waikato.
  3. Advocate for more local trade training opportunities and options for youth employment.

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.