Election 2026: Green Party candidate Awhi Haenga to contest Whanganui seat

Green Party candidate Awhi Haenga will contest the Whanganui electorate.

Awhi Haenga is the Green Party candidate for the Whanganui electorate in the 2026 general election on November 7.

Born in Wellington, Haenga (Ngāti Porou) grew up, raised her children and still lives in Whanganui.

She is a registered social worker who has worked with Women’s Refuge, Oranga Tamariki and the Whanganui Regional Health Network.

Her campaign will focus on the cost of living, whānau wellbeing and climate resilience.

“Families are under pressure, the cost of living keeps rising and too many of our young people feel they need to leave to find opportunity. I’m standing because I know we can do better,” Haenga said.

“We’ve got ideas. They’re not concrete yet because we need to come together as a team.”

Haenga has a background in social services, justice, health, education and kaupapa Māori advocacy.

She holds First Class Honours in Indigenous Knowledge at Mangakōtukutuku and plans to complete her PhD.

She was the first in her whānau to complete higher education.

“It’s a new journey for me. I’ve got to get schooled-up. I’ve got to do some political education. But I’m just me. I’m Awhi from Whanganui.”

Haenga stood for the Whanganui District Council in last year’s local government election but was unsuccessful.

“The idea for me was to show our people that anybody can put their name forward ... I achieved my goal ... it was always to be a stepping stone to our main goal, politics, the Green Party – Te Pāti Kakariki.

“There are lots of Māori on the general roll that need to have another choice. They don’t want to just hand it to National on a plate, or Labour.”

Green Party goals for the Whanganui electorate include housing affordability, protecting the Whanganui awa (Whanganui River), sustainable local food production and a “cleaner economy”.

Electorate boundary changes will expand the Whanganui electorate to the northeast to include Ohakune, Waiōuru and Ōwhango.

Haenga said she had connections and friends in those areas.

The Whanganui electorate will almost double in size, by 5200sq km and 5100 people, as Rangitīkei moves south.

Other candidates so far confirmed for the Whanganui electorate are incumbent Whanganui MP Carl Bates (National) and former Labour Party list MP Angela Roberts.

“Carl Bates is doing a bit of work now. But good on him, he’s getting out. And that’s what people want to see,” Haenga said.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the candidates.

“Our intention is to build our local branch, our local members, our local party and spread our kaupapa.”

Noam Mānuka Lazarus (Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara) is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.