ACT puts Paul Henry at No 4 on party list for 2026 election
ACT has put broadcaster Paul Henry at No 4 on its party list for the 2026 general election. On current polling, that spot would put him in Parliament.
The party released the full ranking on Sunday 13 September. Leader David Seymour stays at No 1, with Nicole McKee at No 2 as the party's new deputy leader RNZ. McKee replaces outgoing deputy leader and MP Brooke van Velden.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has moved from fifth to third, and Children's Minister Karen Chhour has moved up to No 5 Newstalk ZB. Henry sits between them at No 4 on debut. Todd Stephenson has dropped from fourth to sixth.
James Christmas enters at No 7. Parmjeet Parmar has moved from ninth to 10th, and Cameron Luxton has moved from 11th to 12th. Far North councillor Davina Smolders is ranked 18th.
The party website lists Henry as a List Candidate and James Christmas as Candidate for Tāmaki, and Seymour as Party Leader and MP for Epsom and Deputy Prime Minister. Its release is titled "ACT reveals team to unlock New Zealand's potential" and dated 13 Sept 2026.
The placing confirms an arrangement first signalled in July. On 14 July ACT published "Paul Henry to stand for ACT in 2026 election", saying he would stand as a list candidate ACT. Seymour announced it at a press conference alongside Henry NZ Herald.
Henry spoke to Seymour about a list place only a week before the move was reported. He resigned from the board of TVNZ when he agreed to stand.
Since then Henry has commented on vote-splitting. He said ACT voters backing National candidates with their candidate vote while party-voting ACT could give the coalition a much better chance NZ Herald.
The broader context here is protection and succession. McKee at No 2 locks in the new deputy. Hoggard at No 3 and Chhour at No 5 keep two ministers in the top five. Stephenson stays in the top six. Henry and Christmas start high at fourth and seventh, inside the range to enter Parliament if the party vote holds.
In my view, the list does two jobs at once. It brings sitting MPs back and adds new names at the top without leaving ministers exposed, like a team sheet where the top names get first call. Parmar at 10th and Luxton at 12th are lower than last term but still in spots that have elected ACT MPs before. Smolders at 18th is depth rather than an immediate prospect on current polling.
The wider picture for voters is how MMP works. Local contests decide electorate seats. The party vote decides a party's share, and list order decides who fills it. Seymour has kept his ministers close and added profile at the top.
