Here’s the Labour party announcement,
The Labour Party has selected public health doctor Alex Hedley (Ngāti Porou) as its candidate for Napier for 2026.
“Life is getting tougher for people because of the choices this Government is making. In Napier it’s difficult to find GP practices taking new patient enrolments and in Wairoa there is no permanent dentist or aged care facility,” Alex Hedley said.
“Napier is my home. I went to Napier Boys’, and through a combination of excellent education and the support of my family, I became the first in my family to attend university.
“I’ve always been driven to make change in my community. In 2014, I led the campaign to restore student loan funding so medical students could complete their training. It tooks three years of constant work, but eventually Steven Joyce, then Minister for Tertiary Education, changed his student loans policy to avoid disrupting the medical training pipeline.
“Once I completed my training in medicine, I returned to Hawke’s Bay and worked at Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital in Hastings as a junior doctor.
“I advocated for patients while working as a doctor in our public health system and have been privileged to provide care to people during their most vulnerable times in both Northland and Hawke’s Bay.
“Choices made by the current government are making life harder for people here. Unemployment has risen faster in Hawke’s Bay than anywhere else in the country. We have a rising homeless population while social housing projects have been axed. The cost of living is forcing some whānau to choose between putting food on the table or heating their homes.
“It doesn’t need to be this way. I am running for Labour because I believe we can provide a stable alternative to the chaotic leadership we are currently experiencing, that cares about people and makes change for the better.
“Napier is one of the best places to live in New Zealand and I am proud to again call it my home – alongside my fiancé Alby and retired greyhound Beau. I am ready to run a positive campaign to win back the Napier electorate for Labour,” Alex Hedley said.
Napier’s National MP Katie Nimon is widely expected to stand for re-election, but the party has not yet begun its official selection process for the Napier seat.
