Labour confirms Ayesha Verrall as candidate for Wellington North electorate

Monday, 24 November 2025

Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall has been confirmed as Labour’s Wellington North candidate.

On Saturday and Sunday, Labour cemented its capital city contestants for election 2026.

It was understood Wellington North was contested by sitting MPs Verrall and Greg O’Connor and Verrall, and four others who are not MPs.

Boundaries are shifting with O’Connor’s Ōhāriu existing no more, Wellington Central changing to Wellington North and Rongotai to Wellington Bays.

The Post also previously reported LGBTQIA+ activist Shaneel Lal and and Toby Moore, once a senior adviser to former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and a member of Labour’s policy council, were in the running.

The party confirmed CTU economist Craig Renney as its candidate for the new Wellington Bays electorate.

Verrall, currently a list MP, previously held the roles of Minister of Health, Research, Science and Innovation, Seniors, as well as the Minister for Covid-19 Response.

She attended medical school at the University of Otago and worked as a junior doctor at Wellington Hospital.

Verrall lives in Wellington with her partner and daughter.

For the Greens this week, Tamatha Paul, the Wellington Central MP, has her selection meeting on Thursday night for Wellington North. She was not aware of anyone going up against her when asked.

Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter said the Green Party selection for Wellington Bays was on Wednesday, and she believed she was only candidate.

National’s Nicola Willis, who previously ran in Wellington Central and Ōhāriu, said earlier this week there was no update on the National Party candidate selection for the new Wellington North electorate.

Asked if that would be something that interested her, Willis repeated there were no updates.