Election 2026: Act Party releases its list, Paul Henry ranking

James Christmas, the former National candidate and Beehive staffer who is running in Tāmaki, is placed seventh. He is replacing Brooke van Velden as Act’s candidate in the seat.

Van Velden currently holds the electorate but is stepping down from politics. Her departure, as well as that of Mark Cameron, has created two spots for new candidates near the top of the list.

After Christmas is Simon Court, the current parliamentary under-secretary for the Minister for Infrastructure and RMA Reform.

He is followed by MPs Laura McClure and Parmjeet Parmar.

In the 11th spot is Iain Murray, the next non-MP. He is the party’s Selwyn candidate, is a former Royal New Zealand Air Force airman and is a school principal.

Cameron Luxton is the last MP on the list, ranked at 12.

“Act is brimming with talent, and we’ve got a team of New Zealanders ready to build on what we’ve achieved this term and unlock New Zealand’s potential,” Seymour said.

“Our list is a true representation of New Zealand society. There are tradies, engineers, farmers, small business owners, hunters, legal experts, health professionals, school principals and more.

“Our candidates come from many different backgrounds and professions, but they share a common belief in this country and a determination to make it better.”

Speaking of Hoggard being third, up from fifth in 2023, Seymour said he’d been critical in driving the party’s rural work.

“Andrew Hoggard has been the driving force behind cutting red tape and bringing common sense to climate policy this term. His promotion is recognition for the work he’s done and the continued importance of having an authentic farmer standing up for rural New Zealand.”

The most recent NZ Herald – Motu Research Poll of Polls, released earlier this week, had Act on 7.5%, which would give the party nine seats. It holds 11.

Another high-profile candidate is Davina Smolders. She is an Act councillor in the Far North District Council and captured national headlines after raising concerns about the rights being given to unelected people on council committees. The Government later said it would move to stop unelected people being able to vote on the committees.

Smolders previously said that she would resign from the council if she secured a position in the top 10 or 11 places on the Act list for the election.

However, she has been ranked at 18 on Act’s list.

Act’s list for the 2026 election:

David SeymourNicole McKeeAndrew HoggardPaul HenryKaren ChhourTodd Stephenson James ChristmasSimon CourtLaura McClureParmjeet ParmarIain MurrayCameron LuxtonAntonia ModkovaAlex PriceJanelle HockingAsh ParmarYang QuDavina SmoldersAmanda RobertsCallum SheridanHenrietta DevoeSamuel MillsNigel ElderTom SpoonerJuan Alvarez De LugoManu SinghHelena RozaAli DahcheMalkiat SinghAsh BettridgeZachary WellmanRobbie ByarsMatthew HagueNick PeirceDarrin HawkesPanos PatrosAaron AllredDoug GrahamToni Severin *Johno OrmondBryan NortonMartin Lundqvist Sarah Lochead-MacmillanKen HarpurSean BeamishChris Baillie

*Candidates 39 to 46 are candidates who wish to be on the list but not ranked and are listed in reverse alphabetical order by last name.

Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.