Election 2026: What Whanganui candidates learned from the campaign and their final message

Conversations with people about healthcare sprung to mind, Roberts said.

“People [are] really concerned about housing and knowing how fundamentally it impacts on so many aspects of our lives in Whanganui.

“We have a huge, hugely strong interconnected network of people who are out there doing their best to look after each other.”

Her message to Whanganui voters was to “go and do your homework, if you’ve got time”.

“Elections are actually deeply personal.”

Sandra Kyle said she learned there was a real desire to better care for animals, communities and the environment.

“My campaigning has confirmed my basic belief that a respectful and empathetic hearing of other points of view leads to better interactions and outcomes.

“It’s been a privilege to explain why I’m standing for the AJP [Animal Justice Party], to be a voice for the voiceless,” Kyle said.

“I’ve never had any problems with people being aggro; a lot of people are surprised that a party for the animals even exists.

“Every vote counts; don’t be put off by feeling that your vote won’t change anything.”

The one-term former National MP for Whanganui provided a written statement.

Harete Hipango-Brownlie said a lesson she learned was that “keyboard warriors” and “drivers of political content” use “intimidating, toxic and threatening” tactics.

“That will not deter me,” she said.

“However, my family’s and [my] own personal safety has been compromised more so this campaign – my fourth campaign.”

Hipango-Brownlie’s final message to voters was that a “centre-right coalition” government “to keep building on adjustments and improvements to New Zealand as a nation” would give the country a lifeline.

“I trust New Zealanders are smart and intelligent and will vote accordingly for a better, stronger, united New Zealand.”

Balance New Zealand candidate and party leader Juan Coffey’s biggest lesson during his political debut was that “you don’t really know what response you’re going to get until you actually beat the streets, do the markets and speak to people.

“It is resonating and we do have something.

“People are really disenfranchised with the political system at the moment.

Another big lesson was “how much money it takes”, he said.

“I can’t believe some of the war chests that there [are] out there and that’s a really hard thing to come up against as well, when you’ve got someone who’s got 300 signs around the town.

“To actually see it in real life is quite overwhelming; how much money gets pulled into these elections.”

The party was “fully targeting” the 2029 election, he said.

Incumbent MP Carl Bates said balancing his campaign alongside having a family was always a learning experience.

“One is that we now have a much larger electorate and so it’s important that we, as Members of Parliament, represent the entire electorate and all of its communities and that’s something that I’ve really been focused on.”

The electorate doubled in size after last year’s boundary changes, shifting north to cover parts of Ruapehu and nearly half of Taranaki.

He said “so much” had been achieved during the coalition Government’s term, including across education, elective surgeries, justice and law and order. But there was more work to do.

“People are still finding it tough out there and that’s why we’ve got to stick to the plan,” he said.

“This election’s really important ... it’s going to be tight and every vote is going to count.”

Noam Mānuka Lazarus (Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara) is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.