East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick confirmed as National Party’s 2026 East Cape candidate

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick (right) at the 2025 Poverty Bay A&P Show with Northland MP Grant McCallum and TukiTuki MP Catherine Wedd. Photo / National Party

National Party MP for East Coast Dana Kirkpatrick has been confirmed the party’s candidate for the East Cape electorate for the 2026 General Election.

East Cape will be the new name for the current East Coast electorate, decided by the Representation Commission in its review of electorate boundaries earlier this year.

First elected to Parliament in 2023, Kirkpatrick said she felt privileged to have the opportunity to continue representing the people of Te Tairāwhiti through to Te Kaha, Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne, Maketū, Tāneatua, Murupara and Kawerau.

“I want to maintain my commitment to keeping our regions at the forefront, ensuring our voices are acknowledged and our needs are met,” she said in a statement.

“I’ve loved spending the past two years as an MP, strengthening our regional connections and working alongside our community to grow steady momentum in areas of need and opportunity.

Ensuring this electorate is not forgotten is still at the forefront of what I do as the elected MP.”

She said her first term in Parliament had provided her valuable opportunities to support and advocate for key initiatives, which included post-cyclone emergency response and regional recovery, improving road infrastructure and expanding social housing stock.

“Education, housing, health, law and order, and economic growth are all key areas of focus that I will continue to work alongside our government to strengthen into the next term.”

She expressed her gratitude for the strong backing she had received from National Party members and colleagues in Parliament.

Heading into an election year, she said she was “eager to get stuck in”.