SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Auckland: Seventeen registered political parties and 530 candidates will contest New Zealand’s 2026 General Election following the closure of candidate nominations.
The Electoral Commission has confirmed that voters can now access party lists, electorate candidates and voting place locations through the official website.
17 parties seek party votes
The 17 registered parties submitting party lists include the National Party, Labour Party, ACT New Zealand, Green Party, New Zealand First, Te Pāti Māori and 11 other parties.
Other parties contesting the election include the Alliance Party, Animal Justice Party Aotearoa New Zealand, Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, Conservative Party NZ, Free Palestine, New Zealand Loyal, NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party, Opportunity Party, Te Tai Tokerau Party, Vision New Zealand and the Women’s Rights Party.
In the 2023 General Election, 19 registered political parties contested the election, with 17 submitting party lists.
Candidate numbers decline
A total of 530 candidates are standing in the 2026 election, down from 567 in 2023. The number compares with 667 candidates in 2020, 534 in 2017 and 554 in 2014.
Of this year’s candidates, 61 are standing on party lists only, while 22 candidates from registered parties are contesting electorates only. Another 65 electorate candidates are standing as independents or representing unregistered parties. Meanwhile, 382 candidates are standing both in an electorate and on a party list.
Christchurch East and West Coast-Tasman have most candidates
Christchurch East and West Coast-Tasman have the highest number of electorate candidates, with 11 each.
Hauraki-Waikato, Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Hauāuru have the fewest, with three candidates each.
Gender representation
The candidate breakdown includes 329 men, 190 women, four people identifying as another gender and seven candidates whose gender was not specified.
In 2023, there were 329 male candidates, 229 female candidates, four candidates of another gender and five whose gender was not specified.
Major parties field large candidate teams
The National Party has the largest party list, with 72 candidates, followed by Labour with 71 and the Green Party with 55. New Zealand First has 50 list candidates, while ACT New Zealand has 46.
The Electoral Commission has published the confirmed candidate lists online, allowing voters to review their options ahead of the 2026 General Election.
Voters can visit vote.nz for the full candidate lists, party information and voting place details.
SOURCE : SIASAT
