Election 2026: National Party’s Todd McClay becomes Rotorua’s longest-serving MP after election win

Currently, the coalition parties – National, Act and NZ First - hold a slim majority in what is looking like a much larger Parliament, thanks to overhangs on both the left and the right.

About 399,365 special votes – those cast overseas or out of one’s electorate – are due to be counted as the Electoral Commission undergoes the official count, expected to conclude at the end of the month.

About 60 die-hard National supporters and volunteers celebrated McClay’s win on Saturday at Rotorua’s Pullman Hotel with McClay and his extended family, including mother Dawn, fiancee Anna Lillis and both of their children.

Saturday marked a year since the death of McClay’s father, Roger McClay, a politician and Children’s Commissioner, and McClay paid tribute to him and his mother during his victory speech.

McClay said on Saturday night that he had voted in Reporoa that day before going to a cemetery in the farming district south of Rotorua to visit his father’s grave with family.

Lillis said it had been a fantastic experience working alongside her fiance during this election. They had been together for about three years.

“He’s been very busy and energetic and is still loving it after 18 years.”

Yesterday afternoon, McClay was meeting with National’s leader, Christopher Luxon, and other senior MPs in Auckland to nut out what could happen with the Government in the coming weeks.

Before he left, he told the Rotorua Daily Post in an interview that one of his first jobs as a local MP would be to advance a plan to turn QE into a Rotorua health hub.

“We know our hospital needs up to four new elective surgery theatres. It is very hard to do it in the hospital, and it would be expensive and take a long time. We have a need for dialysis in Rotorua; we have people having to go elsewhere.

“If we can tick the box and get that going, then people get their operations sooner and those on dialysis will have a better quality of life.”

Jobs and opportunities for young people were also among the priorities, as well as reducing costs.

The way to do that was to grow the economy, create jobs and increase wages, he said.

“Over the last three years it has started to happen, but it’s way too soon for people to start feeling the positive effects of that.”

Having now won seven elections, McClay said he was now the longest-serving MP in the history of the Rotorua seat, surpassing fellow National MPs Paul Lapwood on 18 years and Paul East on 17 years and 10.5 months.

“That allows me to feel much greater responsibility and obligation to keep working hard and to repay the confidence that the people of this seat have shown me for now what will be 21 years [at the end of this term].”

He said it was pleasing that not just National voters had continued to consistently vote for him as the local MP. He vowed to “roll up his sleeves” and work for all local voters, irrespective of their party preferences.

He said Rotorua did well under National and National-led coalitions.

In the past 18 years, he said the city got funding for a new police station, new roading announced for all four entrances to the city, ultra-fast broadband in every house and a new courthouse.

The 58-year-old said he would treat his future in politics as he has done the past 18 years – by deciding a year out from the election if he would stand again.

“I say, ‘Do I enjoy the job? Have I got more to give? Am I doing a good job?’ If the answer is yes, then I continue.”

Wang said he was proud of his effort to close the margin and wished McClay all the best.

“They have a big job ahead, and he has my support as the successful candidate in this election.”

Wang said all candidates wanted to see Rotorua in a better place.

“It is now time to come together and back the winner.”

Wang said he appreciated it had been a “clean campaign” compared with the personal attacks seen in other electorates.

Despite the results showing from an early stage that he was trailing, Wang held an upbeat election party at Arikikapakapa Rotorua Golf Club with about 60 supporters.

The New Zealand First candidate for Rotorua, Billy Brown, who was watching the results from his home with his family, said he was rapt with the results.

While well out of the Rotorua MP race, he said it was always his goal to raise the NZ First party vote.

“I’ve told people you’ve got a great MP here [McClay] and to vote for him.”

The Opportunity Party’s Rotorua candidate, Finn Liley, said he was proud to help raise the party vote and described his party’s achievement of getting 6% party vote so far as “incredible”.

Rotorua preliminary results:

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 30 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.