Napier councillor running for NZ First at general election - in a different region

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

NZ First leader Winston Peters with Napier city councillor Te Kira Lawrence, who has just been announced as the party’s candidate for East Cape.

A sitting Napier councillor has been announced as the New Zealand First candidate for an electorate based more than 200 kilometres away.

Te Kira Lawrence, 41, said she was 'really excited' after finding out she had been accepted as the party's candidate for East Cape in this year's general election.

The first-term councillor said the move would not affect her role at Napier City Council, at this stage.

The chances of her beating incumbent National MP Dana Kirkpatrick or Labour candidate Jo Luxton are low, meaning she would be relying on a high list ranking to get to Parliament.

Former Labour Cabinet minister Stuart Nash is returning to politics as a New Zealand First candidate for Napier, with Winston Peters dismissing his past controversial comments as 'yesterday's story'.

The party has already recruited some high-profile names including Stuart Nash in Napier, Taine Randell in Tukituki and Michael Laws in Waitaki.

“I won’t know where I’ll be placed on the candidate list until around the end of September,” Lawrence said.

“Once I know the outcome, I’ll decide what I need to do.

“We have a lot of skilled candidates who represent a wide range of the community.”

NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle caused a political kerfuffle this term when he was elected while holding a council seat in Marlborough and didn’t give up the seat because he worried about the cost of a by-election.

He ended up donating his council salary to charity.

When asked about a potential repeat of Arbuckle’s situation, Lawrence said she wanted to represent her country and “if elected, the public would expect me to do it properly”.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters on speculation former MP turned broadcaster Michael Laws may stand for Waitaki electorate.

Lawrence is already familiar with NZ First, working full-time as an outreach advisor for parliamentary services for the party, looking after Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay and across to Taranaki.

Her role involves connecting MPs and the caucus with the regions she looks after and coordinating meetings with local communities, businesses, and councils.

“The nature of my job has meant that I can be flexible when I am busy with council business.”

Lawrence said her love of politics began when she was head girl at Tamatea High School.

“I just thought to myself, when I’m older, I want to get involved with the council.”

In 2022, she ran for a seat on the Napier council and didn’t get in.

“But I really enjoyed the campaigning,” Lawrence said.

“And then Winston Peters just started coming up on my social media saying things that I had been thinking about.”

She started reading the party’s policies and, as it was election year, put her hand up to volunteer, and “really enjoyed it”.

She said if she did get into Parliament, she would be advocating for family issues.

“I’ve got a 12-year-old daughter and have been a mum on my own for quite a few years now.

“I have a big family, and I have relied on them to support me, so I understand what parents go through.”

She said she was also drawn to the party “because it supported the regions” and that she liked Peters’ “pragmatic approach”.

Lawrence said she was enjoying her role as a councillor.

“There have been a couple of hairy moments, and with the reforms there’s a lot of extra work and a lot of learning to do, but I have absolutely enjoyed it.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.