General Election 2026

Meet the Candidates!

Kapiti Coast Grey Power is a politically neutral organisation, active in Kapiti for 31 years. We hold successful ‘Meet the Candidates’ meetings during local body and national election years.
This year is important with the change in the regional electoral boundaries. Kapiti is now covered by one electorate - Kapiti - rather than two (Mana and Otaki).
Our meetings give all seniors, and others in the new Kapiti electorate, the opportunity to come and listen to and ask questions of the candidates.
We have secured the following dates to cover as much of the Kāpiti electorate as possible. Add these dates and venues to your calendar.
​Please come along to be informed and entertained. Feel free to bring neighbours and friends.

Monday 12 October 2026: Ōtaki Memorial Hall 1-3.30pm
 
Thursday 15 October 2026: Paraparaumu Memorial Hall 1-3.30pm
 
Monday 19 October 2026: Ngāti Toa Hall, Mana 1-3.30PM
 
Tuesday 20 October 2026: Waikanae Baptist Church Auditorium 7:00-9pm

Candidate Profiles

Kapiti Electorate Candidates

Tim Costley - National

I come from 23 years military service and decades of serving my local community. It’s been an absolute privilege to serve as a local MP, and I’m asking you to give me three more years at the election this year. 
I’m motivated by people, our community, our country, and by service. I know I can’t change the world but I can make a world of difference for those I meet each day in our region. I have helped locals into housing, with immigration, to get social support at home and importantly to access more health services. Too many people were previously waiting too long for much-needed care, and this has been my top focus as MP. 
National and I are delivering. 
Our Government has delivered thousands of additional elective procedures, expanded breast and bowel cancer screening, a new Kapiti cancer clinic, enhanced radiology in Kapiti, extra funding for the health shuttle and funded the after-hours in Kenepuru when it was going to be closed in 2023.
Further, our children are achieving better results in school, ram-raids are a thing of the past, crime numbers have improved, and in the face of rapidly rising council rates (Kapiti went up over 50% from 2019-2025), we are capping rates increases at just 4%. 
This progress is why I’m asking for three more years as a local MP, and for a National Government. We can’t afford to go back to the growing waitlists, growing crime rates and lower academic achievement in schools we had in 2023.
Our seniors matter to me; supporting them is critical. I don’t agree with those who say the rising cost of supporting seniors is a burden; I think our seniors are a strength in our region. We have a vast pool of skill, talent and experience that contributes extensively to our region, and on which our community relies. We see this is action through Greypower, Age Concern, Menzshed, Lions, Rotary, Volunteer Kapiti, Probus, Millenium Club, CAB, Soroptimists and many more, all of whom I’ve enjoyed spending time with over the last three years.
Please vote for me, Tim Costley, and re-elect me to Parliament.

Sophie Handford - Labour

I have lived on the Kāpiti Coast all my life. I was born in Paekākāriki and now live in Waikanae with my partner, Simon. This is a wonderful part of the country to call home. Our local communities, history and environment make it a special place to live.
I have spent my life working to make things better for people of all ages. I co-founded local community initiatives such as Share the Warmth and have volunteered across our district. I had the privilege of serving six years as a Kāpiti Coast District Councillor, working hard to be an accessible, effective representative who listened first and focused on practical outcomes for our neighbourhoods. As Chair of Council’s Strategy, Operations and Finance Committee, I gained hands-on experience working with colleagues to address the complex infrastructure challenges facing our growing region.
I am standing as the Labour candidate for the Kāpiti electorate because I believe our people need a strong voice in Wellington who can get things done. I deeply value the immense contribution older New Zealanders make to our district. You deserve security and dignity. That is why Labour introduced the Winter Energy Payment to help older people with the rising cost of living, and why we have committed to keep the superannuation age at 65.
If elected, I will focus on the issues that matter most. I will work as part of the Labour team to address the rising cost of living and pressures on fixed-income households. I will push for better health services - reducing waiting times and keeping quality care accessible close to home. I am committed to working to safeguard reliable, affordable public transport so everyone can get around our towns, and to ensure Kāpiti remains a safe, vibrant place that welcomes older New Zealanders. I will also work to bring care for our environment back into decision-making.
​I bring a proven local track record of listening to and working with people from all walks of life, asking the tough questions, and delivering results. I look forward to making sure your priorities are heard loud and clear in Parliament.

Penny Gaylor - NZ First

Respected local government leader and senior political advisor Penny Gaylor has been announced as New Zealand First’s candidate for Kapiti.
Highly experienced in the public sector, Penny has worked in the press office for former Prime Minister David Lange and served as Press Secretary to Murray McCully. She’s also held senior communications roles at Police National Headquarters, The Ministry of Justice and Inland Revenue. During her time at Inland Revenue Penny worked on the Wine Box Inquiry, which was famously instigated by NZ First leader, Winston Peters. “It was truly groundbreaking. I’ve always respected Winston Peters for having the courage to challenge issues that others shy away from. Back then most of us thought we were immune to that level of business corruption and Winston Peters brought it into the spotlight. He’s doing the same with the Covid Inquiry,” said Penny. 
Penny holds an Honours degree in Politics from Victoria University and currently chairs the Ōtaki College Board, reflecting her longstanding commitment to education and community leadership. She has more than 17 years’ experience in local governance, including three terms as a Councillor for Greater Wellington Regional Council. She has driven outcomes for economic development, public transport improvement, water sustainability and environmental projects. 
A trained journalist, Penny also owned the Ōtaki Mail.
“Serving the community comes from my desire to speak up for others and champion government investment that will return prosperity to New Zealanders,” she said.
Penny said a strong work ethic was the foundation of her upbringing. “If we want to be a prosperous country again, we have to work our way out of debt and welfare dependency.” 
“New Zealand is rich with natural resources and hardworking, innovative Kiwis, so I’m backing a party that is smart enough to know how to get us back onto the pathway to prosperity,” said Penny Gaylor. ​

CK Sng - Opportunity Party

I was born and raised in Singapore. I gave up my Singaporean citizenship to become a Kiwi because I believe in what this country can be when its systems actually serve the people who built it.
Before politics, I spent time as a technology journalist and over a decade at the bedside — in cardiac care at Singapore's National Heart Centre, then in Interventional Radiology at Wellington Regional Hospital. I later moved into insurance strategy, where I learned how policy settings quietly determine outcomes long before a crisis hits. This background has given me a systems-thinking approach: looking for the upstream, structural causes of problems rather than just treating symptoms.
Where I want to make a difference
Retirement villages: I have heard directly from residents about the power imbalance built into many occupation right agreements — deferred management fees that erode capital, limited transparency, and little recourse when things go wrong. Opportunity's policy to strengthen the Commerce Commission's oversight powers would give residents real protection, not just a code of practice operators can quietly ignore.
Free public transport: Opportunity is calling for the immediate introduction of permanent, universal free-to-ride public transport across New Zealand. For seniors, that means no more juggling top-ups or budgeting around bus fares just to get to a medical appointment, visit grandchildren, or stay connected to your community — transport becomes a right, not a cost.
Preventive, not reactive, healthcare: My nursing background taught me that waiting until people are in crisis is the most expensive and painful way to run a health system. I want investment shifted upstream, where it does the most good.
I would welcome the chance to meet Grey Power members across Kāpiti, hear your concerns directly, and be honest with you about where Opportunity stands, even when it is not the easy answer.

Melody Willis - Green Party

Melody Willis is the Green Party candidate for Kapiti, a passionate activist, dedicated to effecting meaningful and positive change, and grounded in principles of equity, sustainability, and mātauranga Māori.
Melody is an experienced organiser with a background in operations, planning, and governance. She advocates to uplift, protect, and empower workers, nonhuman animals, and our most vulnerable, marginalised, and oppressed communities, including takatāpuhi and trans, disabled people, women, and mana whenua.
Born in Kaitaia, Melody grew up in Hamilton, spending holidays at her grandparent’s farm in the Bay of Islands. She returned to Aotearoa in 2019 after living in Brisbane, Australia for 15 years as an 'overseas New Zealander'. Melody lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and recently completed a BA on a full-time-equivalent basis through Victoria University of Wellington–double majoring in Māori Resource Management and Public Policy, with a minor in Political Science–while continuing to work fulltime as a public servant.
Melody joined the Greens in 2022 and is passionate about electing a transparent and principled, Green-led government this November. 
“As a society, our true character is reflected in how we value and treat our most marginalised, oppressed, and vulnerable communities. 
“Aotearoa has enough for everyone to thrive but, right now, government decisions prioritise corporations above people and planet. Homelessness and unemployment rates have increased, while wages have decreased and the cost of groceries, energy, and our everyday lives have gotten more expensive. 
“The Green Party is the only party that has a plan to make life affordable and protect nature by making the decisions that benefit all of us, not just the super wealthy. That’s why I’m asking Kapiti to party-vote Green this November. 
“By voting for the Green Party, together we can build a society where the economy serves the people, not the other way around.
​“With the Greens in government, we can take action to reverse the cuts, restore our nature, and make sure everyone has what they need to live a good life.”

Te Tai Hauauru Electorate Candidates

Te Pūoho Kātene - Labour

Iwi: Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Whātua.
Te Pūoho Kātene is an economic development leader dedicated to serving Māori. His diverse background in business, science, board governance, finance, and social impact investment has all been in pursuit of his goal – creating meaningful and real change for all Māori, as a key part of a thriving and fair Aotearoa.
As CEO of Tapuwae Roa, Te Pūoho drove initiatives empowering Māori through education, STEMM, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. He funded and scaled science and numeracy programmes for tamariki, established governance & leadership development initiatives, and accelerated Māori startups into global enterprises, fostering economic resilience and local job creation.
His kaupapa is simple: foster Māori identity, invest in Māori potential, create jobs for Māori, back Māori leadership, and build opportunities that uplift whānau and communities.
Graduating from Stanford Business School, being a Fulbright Scholar, and as an Obama Foundation Leaders, Te Pūoho grounds global best practice with Māori and indigenous values.
Te Pūoho is an experienced board governor, having served his iwi, Ngāti Toa, as a trustee, as Chair of a Whānau Ora commissioning agency and as Deputy Chair of Trust Tairāwhiti. He has previously chaired Ākina Foundation, and served as an independent director within Waikato-Tainui and on a boutique investment bank, Armillary Private Capital.
A haka man, orator and kairakau, Te Pūoho carries his tikanga and whakapapa proudly, with the belief that Māori solutions, grounded in mātauranga Māori, can thrive on any world stage.
Across all these roles, his purpose remains the same: to uplift Māori where they stand, strengthen communities like those in Te Tai Hauāuru, and ensure Māori have the resources, opportunities, and support to flourish — not just today, but for the generations to come.

Party Policies Affecting Seniors

Where the parties stand on issues affecting older New Zealanders
Grey Power New Zealand asked the seven major political parties to outline their policies for older New Zealanders ahead of the 2026 General Election. National, Labour, the Green Party, New Zealand First and Opportunity Party responded. ACT was invited to participate but said it not have the capacity to complete the questionnaire. Te Pāti Māori did not respond.
Their responses reveal broad agreement on protecting New Zealand Superannuation, but significant differences in healthcare, housing and cost-of-living policies. Click below to open their responses as a PDF

National Party Response
Labour Party Response
NZ First Party Response
Green Party Response
Opportunity Party Response