Election 2026: ACT candidate targets Pacific voters in South Auckland race

ACT Party candidate Henrietta Devoe is positioning herself as an alternative voice for Pacific voters in one of Labour’s safest Auckland electorates, Ōtāhuhu.

She says long-standing political loyalties in South Auckland are starting to shift.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Devoe says she is seeing signs that some Pacific voters are open to considering other political options.

“I know a lot of Pasifika people that are actually aligned with ACT values, and it's no longer the same,” she says. “They understand that the Labour Party is not the same party from the 1980s and they're more crossing over to the ACT Party.”

Devoe says the main issues facing South Auckland families include the cost of living, housing pressures and social harm, and she believes stronger economic opportunity is part of the solution

“We all come back to the cost of living, housing, drug addiction and a myriad of other issues. I'm here to bring practical solutions to our community so that we can all thrive,” she says.

Watch Henrietta Devoe's full interview below.

“There's nothing wrong with creating wealth for all New Zealanders and all communities so we could all thrive together.”

Devoe, who also stood for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board and Manukau Ward in 2025, says her decision to stand for Parliament came after becoming frustrated with decision-making she believes does not reflect everyday families.

“I just got tired of seeing decisions made that don't reflect common sense or value for a taxpayer or help the everyday hardworking New Zealander.”

Henrietta Devoe is running for the Ōtāhuhu electorate on the ACT ticket. Photo/File

She describes the Labour party as being “mostly about ideology and no solutions”, and says ACT’s policies align closely with her personal values including her Christian faith.

She outlines Act’s core positions as including “equal rights for New Zealanders, freedom of speech and individual liberty, lower taxes and less wasteful spending, smaller and more efficient government, rewarding hard work and ambition, evidence-based policy and practical solutions, and strong law and order and accountability - you do the crime, you do the time”.

Pacific community pressures

Asked about challenges facing Pacific communities, Devoe says issues such as unemployment and hardship are part of wider global pressures.

“We all come back to the cost of living, housing… drug addiction and a myriad of other issues,” she says.

“It’s not just New Zealand, but all across the world… we're all going through a lot of things, wars and natural disasters.”

Panmure-Ōtāhuhu, formerly Manukau East, has been held by Labour since its creation in 1996, and is currently represented by MP Jenny Salesa since 2014.

The seat is also undergoing boundary changes ahead of the election. Population growth across south-east Auckland has seen Panmure-Ōtāhuhu redrawn and renamed Ōtāhuhu, with neighbouring electorates also adjusted to balance voter numbers.

ACT MP and Board Member Cameron Luxton says the party aims to continue growing their political base this election. Photo/Supplied

The electorate includes Point England, Panmure, Ōtara and Papatoetoe, as well as Middlemore Hospital and the Manukau Institute of Technology.

Stats NZ data shows the seat is young and highly diverse, with about half the population under 30 and nearly half identifying as “Pacific Peoples”.

ACT says it has fielded 37 electorate candidates nationwide as part of its wider campaign strategy.

ACT Party MP and Board Member Cameron Luxton says the party is fielding “ambitious New Zealanders from all walks of life who believe our country’s best days are ahead of us”.

In a statement, Luxton says the party has grown significantly in recent elections, expanding from one MP in 2014 to a coalition partner with 11 MPs and three Cabinet Ministers today.

As the election campaign continues, parties are stepping up efforts to win over Pacific voters ahead of polling day on 7 November.