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Hauraki-Waikato electorate: 2026 candidates and forecast

Māori electorate. Held by Te Pāti Māori after the 2023 election. Voting closes on Saturday 7 November 2026.

Candidates with a realistic chance

CandidatePartyChance of winning*
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-ClarkeTe Pāti Māori78%
Kingi KirionaLabour22%

Also standing: Neil Denby (Independent).

* Our starting chances when the party vote matches the poll average, before the simulation adds polling error. They come from the 2023 result, retirements and the electorate polls below. The forecast adjusts them to whichever poll you pick.

See Hauraki-Waikato in the live forecast

What we know

Te Pāti Māori gain by 2,911 votes (12 points) in 2023. Whakaata Māori-Curia poll (21 Sep–1 Oct, n=500, 17% unsure): Maipi-Clarke 45, Kiriona (Labour) 26. In 2023 the same pollster had Labour ahead here.

Sources: Wikipedia: Hauraki-Waikato electorate, The Spinoff: Hauraki-Waikato poll, RNZ: MATA-Horizon poll of the Māori seats.

Why Hauraki-Waikato matters

Electorate seats decide who sits in Parliament, but the party vote decides how many seats each party gets. An electorate can still change the result: it can bring in a party that's under 5%, or add overhang seats that raise the number needed to govern. The seat forecast shows how often that happens.