Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick are first and second on the list, respectively.
Photo: RNZ
Some current Green Party MPs risk losing their seats following the publication of the party’s initial candidate list for the election. It has ranked some MPs so low they would be out of Parliament if current polling stays the same.
The Greens have released the Delegate List of candidates, which is essentially a draft formed by party delegates, before going out to the wider membership.
The membership has the opportunity to stick with the draft ranking, or rank candidates in their preferred order.
That final list is then published later in the year.
According to the most recent RNZ-Reid Research poll, the Green Party was on 9.6 percent, or 12 seats in the House – a reduction from its current 15.
If that poll is replicated on election night, and the draft list does not change, three sitting MPs would be out of Parliament.
Steve Abel, ranked 9th on the 2023 Green Party list, has been ranked 14th on the 2026 delegate list.
Scott Willis is ranked 16th, while the Greens’ newest MP, Mike Davidson, has been ranked 22nd.
Green MP Steve Abel has been ranked 14th on the 2026 delegate list.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Some new faces are ranked higher than those current MPs, including former Environment Canterbury chair Craig Aaron Pauling at 12th, and Auckland Pride co-chair Bhen Goodsir at 13th.
There have also been some higher placings for some of the existing Green roster, with Teanau Tuiono jumping two places to 3rd.
Tamatha Paul, who did not stand on the list in 2023, running a successful electorate-only campaign, is ranked 4th on the draft list.
Current MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez have also received higher list rankings this time around. Xu-Nan was ranked 16th in 2023, but is 7th on the 2026 draft list. Hernandez has risen from 17th to 10th.
Tamatha Paul is ranked 4th on the draft list.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
It is possible for MPs to go up or down between the draft and final lists.
For example, in 2023, Lan Pham was ranked 10th, but in the final list was ranked 6th, while Celia Wade-Brown (who is retiring at the election) rose from 22nd to 15th.
Co-leader Marama Davidson said the draft list was “a strong electable list of people who represent diverse communities across Aotearoa and are ready for government.”
Davidson said she was proud to see the list reflected the importance of Māori candidates to the party.
The Greens are standing in three Māori electorates this year, with current MP Hūhana Lyndon running in Te Tai Tokerau (ranked 6th), lawyer Tania Waikato in Waiariki (ranked 15th), and former Te Pāti Māori candidate Heather Te Au-Skipworth standing in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (ranked 19th).
Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said there was a “talented mix of returning Green MPs and new Green talent” in the list.
“Our candidates reflect the people and values of this country, and they’re hitting the ground running. Returning MPs are joined by candidates with experience spanning local government, education, law, green energy and community organising – to name just a few,” she said.
The Green Party’s Delegate List for the 2026 election
1. Marama Davidson
2. Chlöe Swarbrick
3. Teanau Tuiono
4. Tamatha Paul
5. Julie Anne Genter
6. Hūhana Melanie Lyndon
7. Lawrence Xu-Nan
8. Lan Pham
9. Ricardo Menéndez March
10. Francisco Hernandez
11. Kahurangi Carter
12. Craig Aaron Pauling
13. Bhen Goodsir
14. Steve Abel
15. Tania Waikato
16. Scott Willis
17. Rohan O’Neill-Stevens
18. Yasmine Serhan
19. Heather Hinemoa Te Au-Skipworth
20. Louise Hutt
21. Shreejan Pandey
22. Mike Davidson
23. Asher Wilson-Goldman
24. Zephyr Brown
25. Angela Dalton
26. Josh Jacobsen
27. Lauren Craig
28. Carl Morgan
29. Nathan Hoturoa Gray
30. Te Whatanui Kipa Leka Taumalolo Skipwith
31. Alika Wells
32. Courtney White
33. Awhi Haenga
34. Pamela Grealey
35. Alma de Anda
36. Chris Norton
37. Melody Willis
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