Safe battleground

Bay of Plenty

General electorate

—

days to election day

What it takes to flip this seat

Tom Rutherford won by 15,405 votes in 2023. 7,703 voters switching to a challenger would have flipped Bay of Plenty.

In the news

Coverage naming Bay of Plenty or Tom, from our tracked feeds.

The roster

The defender's record, and who's confirmed to challenge them in 2026.

Won Bay of Plenty by a majority of 15,405 in 2023, making it a safe seat.

Tom Rutherford is a New Zealand politician and communications executive. A member of the National Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament for the Bay of Plenty since October 2023.

Full MP profile

What Tom has prioritised this term

Official roles, sourced from parliament.nz.

Select committees

Finance and Expenditure
Justice

Legislative activity this term

From Parliament's official bills record, as at 16 September 2026.

No government bill in charge, members' bill passed, or members' bill currently in the ballot for Tom this term. We checked that against the official record, so it isn't a gap in our data.

Battlegrounds map 2026 election

2023 result and margin: Electoral Commission. 2026 candidates are added only once officially confirmed — never assumed.