NZ Election 2026

Tāmaki electorate

Tāmaki covers several of Auckland’s eastern suburbs, including Stonefields, Saint Heliers, and Ōrākei. The electorate is held by ACT’s Brooke van Velden, initially a list MP who won the seat in 2023, though she is retiring at this election. Van Velden won the seat with a margin of 17,858. National won the party vote with 52%, followed by Labour with 17%. Van Velden’s win marked the first time ACT had won a competitive electorate (the party had previously won Epsom, through an electorate deal with National).

Tāmaki candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

James Christmas

ACT Party

Sacha Haskell

Opportunity Party

Mahesh Muralidhar

National Party

Max Harris

Labour Party

Donald Mackenzie-Mayo

Green Party

John Ryan

NZ First

Mahesh Muralidhar

National Party

Why I'm standing

I came to New Zealand at 14, and this country gave me a life I could never have imagined. I helped build Canva from 25 employees into a global company, then came home to invest in Kiwi founders. Now I want to give back at scale. Tāmaki deserves an MP who lives here, who knows how jobs and growth are actually created, and who will fight for infrastructure matching intensification, safe streets and real opportunity.

About me

I'm the only candidate who lives in the electorate and our beaches, streets and schools are my daily life, not talking points. I've spent my career building things: the first Head of People at Canva, executive roles at Airtasker and Simply Wall St, and now CEO of Phase One Ventures mentoring Kiwi founders. I know how to listen, build teams and deliver to complex goals. I'll be a practical, ambitious, relentlessly local voice in Parliament.

My priorities

  1. Stand up for infrastructure that keeps pace with Tāmaki's growth, the pipes, roads and schools.
  2. Back more frontline police for public transport services keeping Tāmaki families safe.
  3. Back our youth and entrepreneurs so that we have an even more powerful economy that delivers.

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.