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Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate: 2026 candidates and forecast

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

Candidates with a realistic chance

CandidatePartyChance of winning*
Cushla Tangaere-ManuelLabour80%
Haley MaxwellTe Pāti Māori15%
Heather Te Au-SkipworthGreen5%

* 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 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti in the live forecast

What we know

Labour held by 2,874 votes (11 points) in 2023. Whakaata Māori-Curia poll (28 Sep–8 Oct, n=500, 20% unsure): Tangaere-Manuel (Labour) 40, Maxwell (Te Pāti Māori) 19, Te Au-Skipworth (Green) 15.

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

Why Ikaroa-Rāwhiti 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.