Tāmaki Makaurau by-election candidates announced

Tuesday, 5 August 2025

Candidates for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election have been confirmed.

The Electoral Commission has announced the five candidates that will stand in the by-election for the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori seat.

The by-election, triggered by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana ‘Tarsh’ Kemp in June, is set down for September 6.

Here are the candidates.

Peeni Henare - Labour

Labour’s Peeni Henare is confident his previous stint as the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau will stand him in good stead with voters.

“I stand by my record,” Henare told Julian Wilcox on The Hui. “As we go around Tāmaki Makaurau I’ve seen the work that I’ve done as part of a strong Labour party and a strong Labour Government.

“Right now is a chance to build on some of the good work we did while we were in power. I drove through Māngere recently, saw the houses that we had built, and all that’s come to a stop. I think if you’re going to embody the kōrero of my tupuna ‘we’ve come too far not to go further’.”

The former defence minister was the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau until Te Pati Māori’s Takutai ‘Tarsh’ Kemp won the seat at the last election by just 42 votes.

Oriini Kaipara - Te Pāti Māori

Oriini Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) is in the running.

Te Pāti Māori confirmed in July that Oriini Kaipara will represent the party in the by-election.

Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) is an award-winning broadcaster. She was brought up at Hoani Waititi Marae, where she was raised by her mother in a strong Māori environment, the party said in a statement.

Kaipara said she was committed to honouring Kemp, “who served with ngākau mahaki and deep love for whānau”.

“My commitment is to honour her legacy by being a fierce advocate for Tāmaki,” Kaipara said.

Hannah Tamaki - Vision NZ

Co-founder of Destiny Church and Vision NZ candidate Hannah Tamaki told Te Ao Māori news in July that housing, employment, and youth development were key issues Tāmaki-based Māori were facing.

“I think [Māori are] being pushed to the back of the queue of lots of things in housing and employment,” she said.

Tamaki said she was especially passionate about supporting rangatahi and encouraging iwi to invest in their futures.

Counterspin founder Kelvyn Alp outside the Christchurch District Court in 2022.

“I’d really like to encourage the iwi to look for the young people that are wanting to do tertiary, wanting to go to university, wanting to do these courses – look at their track record and help them.”

Kelvyn Alp - NZ Loyal

Kelvyn Alp, a founder and former host of far-right media outlet Counterspin, is also among the candidates.

He’s running for the seat under the “NZ Loyal” brand. His nomination listed “NZ Loyal” as his political party, despite that party being officially de-registered last year.

Sherry-Lee Matene - Independent

There was no public information available about Sherry-Lee Matene, but she is running as an independent.

No candidates from National, ACT, the Greens or New Zealand First will be standing in the seat.

No matter the outcomeof the by-election, the number of MPs in the House - 123 - will remain the same.

“That’s because a by-election does not affect the number of list seats each party is entitled to - list seats are not recalculated after a by-election,” an Electoral Commission spokesperson told The Post.

Early voting is due to commence on August 25, with election day on September 6.