Labour objects to National’s East Coast electorate boundary change suggestions

Electoral boundaries and names will be finalised in August for the 2026 general election. Photo / File

• The Representation Commission has received two counter-objections for proposed changes to the East Coast electorate, including one from the Labour Party.
• The Labour Party has opposed the National Party’s suggestion to move Murupara and Minginui to the Rotorua electorate, citing community ties with Whakatāne.
• Labour suggests adjusting boundaries near Te Puke instead, involving Maketū and Rangiuru.

The Labour Party has submitted an objection to a National Party submission that Murupara and Minginui be moved from the East Coast electorate to the Rotorua electorate.

Counter-objections in response to submissions for a Representation Commission review of electorate boundaries for the 2026 general election have been released this week.

About 1300 East Coast voters in Te Karaka, Manutūkē, Pātūtahi and Mōtū could shift to the Napier electorate for the 2026 general election under the proposal.

Some 81 counter-objections were made nationwide, two relating to the East Coast.

There were 636 objections to the proposals, including five related to the East Coast electorate.

The National Party’s objection proposed that the East Coast boundary should “shift southward to align more or less with the Gisborne District Council’s unique unitary authority”.

Part of this was a suggestion for Rotorua to pick up 600 voters from Murupara, Minginui, Galatea and Ruatāhuna, which currently sit in the East Coast electorate.

The New Zealand Labour Party counter-objection states towns such as Murupara and Minginui share communities of interest on governance issues with Whakatāne, which is in the East Coast electorate.

“Splitting the district council between two electorates is not necessary and may harm the quality of representation these towns receive.”

Labour suggested that if the Representation Commission wanted to increase the population of the Rotorua electorate and lower East Coast, the more sensible place to do that was near Te Puke, for example, Maketū and Rangiuru.

The Labour Party also submitted counter-objections to the original objections for Rānui, Waitākere, Maungakiekie and Invercargill.

Another counter-objection from John Wells was written in support of the National Party submission, as he was unaware of the initial objection deadline.

Wells wrote further extension of the Napier electorate into East Coast “would only rub salt into the wound created by the previous incursion” into the electorate.

He suggested the East Coast electorate west of Ōpōtiki should move into Rotorua and/or other Bay of Plenty electorates, Napier’s electorate boundary with East Coast should be moved south to match the Gisborne District Council/Wairoa District Council boundary along the Wharerata Ranges, and Napier’s southern boundary should be expanded southwards to include Clive to regain numbers lost to the north.

Public hearings will be held in June in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch.

Electorate boundaries and names will be finalised in August.

The proposed boundaries, objections and counter-objections are available to view online at www.vote.nz.