ACT reveals team to unlock New Zealand’s potential

“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,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“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.

“No Party has more consistently stood up for rural New Zealanders than ACT, and 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.

“Our existing caucus all deserve to return to Parliament, alongside the exciting new talent ACT has attracted. Paul Henry is a beloved broadcaster and national treasure who wants a better future for his grandchildren, James Christmas is one of the best legal minds I’ve met and a dedicated champion for Tāmaki, Iain Murray is an experienced school principal who knows how bureaucracy can get in the way of education, Antonia Modkova is an intellectual property lawyer with expertise in the growing area of AI.

“Those are just some of the outstanding candidates that I expect to see in Parliament following the election.

“There are three major challenges ACT’s team will be campaigning on fixing. One, ending Government waste so we can grow the country. Two, cutting red tape and deleting stupid rules so Kiwis can build their businesses and livelihoods. And three, ensuring one law for all and one future together.

“Our Ministers have had an outsized impact on the Government’s direction. They’ve reformed employment law, fixed the Holidays Act, improved school attendance every year, cut red tape across multiple sectors, funded or widened access to 133 medicines, simplified AML rules, fixed the Arms Act, smashed court backlogs, reduced youth crime by 25 per cent, got rid of red tape for farmers, halved methane targets, cracked down on wilding pines, passed the Regulatory Standards Act and replaced the RMA with a property rights system.

“They’ve prevented three new taxes from being enacted and together they’ve cut $14 billion of waste, helping put New Zealand on a faster path back to surplus.

“That’s the impact ACT has had while making up less than a fifth of the Executive. Can you imagine what we can achieve with even more MPs?

“New Zealand has enormous potential, but for too long it has been held back by wasteful spending, endless red tape and compliance, and governments that have divided New Zealanders by race instead of treating everyone equally before the law.

“ACT’s candidates are standing because they want to cut the waste so New Zealand can grow, delete the stupid rules holding productive people back, and restore the basic principle that every New Zealander has the same rights and responsibilities.

“ACT has shown what a small team can achieve. The choice at this election is how much further and faster New Zealand wants to go.

“A bigger ACT team means a stronger Government. Party vote ACT to unlock New Zealand’s potential.”

“Today’s list shows that ACT is attracting successful New Zealanders from all different backgrounds, who know that ACT is the party to unlock New Zealand’s potential," says ACT Party President John Windsor.

“ACT has been steadily growing for the past couple of elections, and every election there are more talented candidates wanting to put their hand up to represent ACT. We have momentum and I'm confident we will grow the party again on November 7."

Candidate bios can be found here.

ACT's list for the 2026 election:

1. David Seymour

2. Nicole McKee

3. Andrew Hoggard

4. Paul Henry

5. Karen Chhour

6. Todd Stephenson 

7. James Christmas

8. Simon Court

9. Laura McClure

10. Parmjeet Parmar

11. Iain Murray

12. Cameron Luxton

13. Antonia Modkova

14. Alex Price

15. Janelle Hocking

16. Ash Parmar

17. Yang Qu

18. Davina Smolders

19. Amanda Roberts

20. Callum Sheridan

21. Henrietta Devoe

22. Samuel Mills

23. Nigel Elder

24. Tom Spooner

25. Juan Alvarez De Lugo

26. Manu Singh

27. Helena Roza

28. Ali Dahche

29. Malkiat Singh

30. Ash Bettridge

31. Zachary Wellman

32. Robbie Byars

33. Matthew Hague

34. Nick Peirce

35. Darrin Hawkes

36. Panos Patros

37. Aaron Allred

38. Doug Graham

39. Toni Severin *

40. Johno Ormond

41. Bryan Norton

42. Martin Lundqvist 

43. Sarah Lochead-Macmillan

44. Ken Harpur

45. Sean Beamish

46. Chris 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.