Competitive battleground

Kelston

General electorate

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days to election day

What it takes to flip this seat

Carmel Sepuloni won by 4,396 votes in 2023. 2,198 voters switching to a challenger would have flipped Kelston.

In the news

Coverage naming Kelston or Carmel, from our tracked feeds.

The roster

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

Won Kelston by a majority of 4,396 in 2023, making it a competitive seat.

Carmel Sepuloni is the Member of Parliament for Kelston and deputy leader of the Labour Party. First elected in 2008, she served as Deputy Prime Minister in the 2023 Labour government and is now Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Full MP profile

What Carmel has prioritised this term

Official roles, sourced from parliament.nz.

Spokesperson roles

Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Labour Party Deputy Leader
Opposition Spokesperson — Pacific Peoples
Opposition Spokesperson — Women
Opposition Spokesperson — Auckland Issues

Legislative activity this term

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

Members' bill in the ballot (1)

Pay Transparency Bill

Written questions to Ministers this term

What is this, and why does it matter to you?

Any MP can put a written question to a Minister, demanding information on the record. The Minister must reply, usually within days. It costs nothing and needs no debate, which makes it the main day-to-day tool MPs use to hold the government to account between bills. It matters most for opposition MPs, who can't pass laws but can still force information into the open. Which Ministers an MP questions most, below, is a numbers-based picture of what they watch on your behalf, and it's worth comparing against what they say they prioritise.

2,726written questions asked since the 2023 election

Where it's gone, by Minister

Minister for Social Development and Employment

848

Minister for Pacific Peoples

441

Minister for Women

Battlegrounds map 2026 election

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

Read 5 recent questions & replies, in Carmel’s and the Minister’s own words

To the Associate Minister of Health · 2026-09-10

"Further to her answers to written questions 38524 and 38441 (2026): how can she claim in her answer to 38524 that “no internal review into the awarding of Auckland home and community support contracts has been undertaken by Health New Zealand” yet in her answer to 38441 that “Health New Zealand's Audit & Assurance team did not identify any material procurement integrity issues in the areas they assessed”?"

Reply not yet due or not yet published.

To the Associate Minister of Health · 2026-09-10

"Further to her answers to written question 38441 (2026): was this not an internal review of the procurement process?"

Reply not yet due or not yet published.

To the Associate Minister of Health · 2026-09-10

"Further to her answers to written question 38441 (2026): what triggered this review?"

Reply not yet due or not yet published.

To the Minister for Auckland · 2026-08-31

"What aides-mémoire, briefings, memos, notes, reports, or any other advice, if any, has the Minister or their Office received during the week beginning 24 August 2026, listed by agency, title and date received?"

Reply: I refer the Member to reply number 19279 (2026).

To the Minister for Women · 2026-08-31

Reply: My Office and I receive a range of advice and documents relating to the Women portfolio. I refer the member to the below list of items received during the week beginning Monday 24 August 2026. Two titles have been withheld under Speaker’s Ruling 199/6: • Meeting with Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner (24 August 2026) • Updated Income Statistics and 2026 Gender Pay Gap (26 August 2026) • Fortnightly Report to the Minister for Women as at 28 August 2026 (27 August 2026) • CSW70 NGO Gover…