A draft candidate list for the Green Party ahead of the 2026 election has put Christchurch MP Mike Davidson’s return to Parliament in doubt, after he was ranked significantly lower than other candidates.

The preliminary list places Davidson at number 22, below his previous position of 19.

Some new faces are ranked higher than those current MPs, including former Environment Canterbury chair Craig Aaron Pauling at 12th.

Davidson only entered Parliament in October 2025 after the resignation of Benjamin Doyle created a vacancy on the party list. 

The ranking is part of a draft list produced by Green Party delegates following meetings with candidates at a party conference and consultation with local branches.

The list will now be put to a vote of the party’s wider membership before a final version is released later this year.

If the draft list remained unchanged and current polling levels continued into the 7 November election, Davidson and several other MPs could struggle to return to Parliament.

Recent polling suggests the Greens could win about 13 seats, meaning candidates placed outside that range on the list would likely miss out unless they won an electorate seat.

 

The Green Party’s Delegate List for the 2026 election

1. Marama Davidson

2. Chlöe Swarbrick

3. Teanau Tuiono

4. Tamatha Paul

5. Julie Anne Genter

6. Hūhana Melanie Lyndon

7. Lawrence Xu-Nan

8. Lan Pham

9. Ricardo Menéndez March

10. Francisco Hernandez

11. Kahurangi Carter

12. Craig Aaron Pauling

13. Bhen Goodsir

14. Steve Abel

15. Tania Waikato

16. Scott Willis

17. Rohan O’Neill-Stevens

18. Yasmine Serhan

19. Heather Hinemoa Te Au-Skipworth

20. Louise Hutt

21. Shreejan Pandey

22. Mike Davidson

23. Asher Wilson-Goldman

24. Zephyr Brown

25. Angela Dalton

26. Josh Jacobsen

27. Lauren Craig

28. Carl Morgan

29. Nathan Hoturoa Gray

30. Te Whatanui Kipa Leka Taumalolo Skipwith

31. Alika Wells

32. Courtney White

33. Awhi Haenga

34. Pamela Grealey

35. Alma de Anda

36. Chris Norton

37. Melody Willis