The proposed review of electorate boundaries for the 2026 election will significantly change the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga electorates.

Tauranga is set to shift westward, while the Bay of Plenty electorate will be reconfigured and renamed Mt Maunganui to better reflect the area.

The Representation Commission conducting the 2025 Boundary Review has released the proposed boundaries and names for public comment.

“Our review is driven by population numbers and the need to ensure each electorate has about the same number of people living in it,” Representation Commission chairman Judge Kevin Kelly said.

“Applying a formula in the Electoral Act 1993, the number of North Island general electorates must decrease by one.

“This is addressed in the lower North Island where the current electorates' populations are below the target quota.

“This change, coupled with some significant population changes elsewhere, has resulted in relatively substantial shifts in most electorate boundaries in the North Island, particularly in the lower North Island and the Auckland region,” Kelly said.

Key changes in the lower North Island include boundary adjustments from Wellington northwards.

Two new electorates, Kenepuru and Kāpiti, are proposed, while the existing electorates of Ōhāriu, Mana and Ōtaki are removed, reducing the overall number of North Island electorates by one.

In Auckland, boundary shifts reflect significant population growth in the north and south, which must be absorbed into central electorates.

In West Auckland, the electorates of New Lynn, Kelston and Te Atatū have been reconfigured into three new electorates with the proposed names Waitākere, Glendene and Rānui.

In southeast Auckland, Panmure-Ōtāhuhu’s boundaries move south and the electorate is renamed Ōtāhuhu.

In the South Island, Selwyn – one of the country’s fastest-growing electorates – has been adjusted so that other Christchurch electorates can accommodate more people.

For the Māori electorates, a boundary adjustment is proposed between Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga in Lower Hutt, while the other five Māori electorates remain unchanged.

A full description of each electorate is available in the Proposed Boundaries 2025 report at vote.nz.