NZ Election 2026

Waikato electorate

Waikato covers much of the area between Tauranga and Hamilton, including communities such as Morrinsville, Matamata, and Huntly. The seat is held by National’s Tim van de Molen, who was first elected in 2017 and was re-elected in 2023 with a margin of 27,335. National won the party vote in 2023 with 50%, followed by Labour on 18%. The seat boasted the odd distinction of being the birthplace of both 2020 Labour and National leaders Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins, though neither ran in the electorate.

Waikato candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Ash Parmar

ACT Party

Jamie Toko

Labour Party

Walt Cavendish

Independent

Robbie Cookson

NZ First

Tim van de Molen

National Party

Walt Cavendish

Independent

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 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.