Paul Henry draws 250-plus in New Plymouth as ACT roadshow rolls on
More than 250 people turned out for ACT list candidate Paul Henry in New Plymouth on Friday night.
The event, called Paul Henry Unlocked, was held at the Devon Hotel conference centre. Henry is a former broadcaster and is at number four on ACT's party list for the 2026 election, according to RNZ.
ACT's events page listed Paul Henry Unlocked | New Plymouth for Friday, 18 September at 7pm at the Devon Hotel. The page also lists a Paul Henry Unlocked | Orewa event.
Henry spoke about ACT policies including cutting red tape, equality under the law, no new taxes and lowering the company tax rate. He then took questions from the floor. Dozens of people stayed afterwards for selfies.
The format follows a set pattern. The roadshow moves from centre to centre around Henry, with a short speech followed by extended question time. A previous stop in Dunedin did not run as smoothly, when a private security guard removed a podcaster after interjections, according to the same reporting.
The New Plymouth meeting came after ACT released its party list for the 2026 election, reported on 12 September by the NZ Herald. Under MMP, list ranking sets the order candidates enter Parliament from the party vote. ACT's website currently names David Seymour as party leader, MP for Epsom and Deputy Prime Minister, Nicole McKee as deputy leader and Minister of Courts, and Brooke van Velden as MP for Tāmaki and Minister of Internal Affairs. It also names James Christmas as candidate for Tāmaki. The party also published three articles on its website this week: 'Abundant electricity will ease cost of living' by Simon Court dated 18 September 2026, 'REVEALED: Compulsory student fees used to fund Labour Party branch' by Parmjeet Parmar dated 17 September 2026, and 'Growth welcome, but not enough' by David Seymour dated 17 September 2026.
The broader context here is what the crowd size and the running of the meeting signal for ACT's campaign. Fourth is high on a party list, and on a result close to ACT's current polling it would bring Henry into Parliament. More than 250 on a Friday night in a provincial centre is a useful result for list managers. It points to the Henry selection working as intended: lift name recognition, fill halls and give local volunteers a focus. The selfie line matters in that sense. People who queue for a photo tend to remember the visit. The Dunedin ejection will also get attention in the party. Touring roadshows invite interjections, and the test is whether security responses stay proportionate and keep the focus on the candidate. New Plymouth gave ACT the cleaner run it wanted.
