Labour has unveiled its list for the November election with 30 newcomers.

The list confirms who can also get into Parliament based on their ranking and the party’s share of the party vote.

Party president Jill Day on Monday said they were “proud” of the diversity and “depth of talent” included.

“We represent our whole community with the skills and life experiences we need to bring real progressive change… Our moderating team had a difficult time putting the list together. We have so many talented people in the Labour Party… We have a list that looks like Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Based on the latest polling from the RNZ-Reid Research survey, Labour would have a total 44 seats – with candidates who win electorates taking priority over those elected on the list.

Party leader Chris Hipkins said it was tough putting together the list.

“There’s two Rhodes scholars, two Fulbright scholars – a couple of them are standing behind me actually – and a variety of experiences in all of our communities up and down New Zealand, from business to farming to the community sector to the public sector.

“Right the way through you will see a really rich diversity of candidates that we are putting forward.”

Hipkins said they expected to bring in at least 10 new MPs at the upcoming election.

Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo – the ethnic, iwi and communities relationships manager for police – has been almost guaranteed a seat at 13th, although he will be running as a list-only candidate.

“His current governance roles include FIFA Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee, Sport NZ, and Gandhi Nivas Family Harm Services. He is former chair of the Wellington Interfaith Council,” a statement from the party said.

Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo has been almost guaranteed a seat at 13th, although he will be running as a list-only candidate. Photo: Supplied

Some current MPs face notable rank changes, with Cushla Tangaere-Manuel – the only Labour MP with a Māori seat electorate, in Ikaroa Rāwhiti – rocketing up 11 places to ninth.

Vanushi Walters – who was ejected from Parliament at the last election after being ranked 30th and losing her Upper Harbour seat, but who returned on the list after David Parker’s resignation – has continued her rise, moving from 12th to eighth.

Leader Chris Hipkins moved her up to 12th in his last reshuffle, and handed her meaty portfolios including foreign affairs, shadow attorney-general and the spy agencies.

Rachel Brooking has shot up eight places to 11th, but Camilla Belich – who is also a lawyer and has achieved some policy wins – has lost out, dropping four places to 23rd and is unlikely to win Epsom against incumbent David Seymour.

Deborah Russell is also in danger – dropping 11 places to 27th, she last contested the New Lynn electorate and lost it to National’s Paulo Garcia in 2023.

Hipkins said he had no concerns Russell would not make it back into Parliament.

“I’m absolutely confident Deborah Russell will be back in Parliament on those numbers. She’s a very, very valuable member of our team.”

Other high-ranking new candidates include union leader Chris Flatt in the Taupō electorate, who led the NZLP from 2009 to 2012 and has led the Dairy Workers Union since then.

Kingi Kiriona (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a Waitangi Tribunal member, deputy chair of Te Māngai Pāho and will contest Hauraki-Waikato “with the blessing of the Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga wai hono i te po”.

Sophie Handford, age 26, is the youngest on the list and previously helped lead the School Strike 4 Climate. She served two terms on Kāpiti Coast District Council and is contesting the Kapiti seat.

Lawyer and social justice campaigner Max Harris is trying for the Tāmaki seat won last election by ACT’s Brooke van Velden, who is also quitting politics.

Warrick Cleine is running list-only, and at rank 30 would need a strong party vote and enough Labour electorate losses to make it into Parliament.

Assistant Speaker Greg O’Connor is not on the list. He has held the Ōhāriu seat since 2017, but changes to electorate boundaries have eliminated the seat.

“He reflected on that over the weekend himself and made the decision that he didn’t wish to have his name put forward on the list,” Hipkins explained. “Greg has made this decision for himself and this has been an ongoing conversation that he’s been having with us since his seat was disestablished.”

Hipkins said it was O’Connor’s decision not to put his hand up again.

“Greg didn’t do anything wrong. His seat was disestablished. And ultimately, he made the decision that he didn’t want to have his name considered for the list.”

The only other sitting Labour MP not on the list is Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb, who announced his retirement from politics in October, and is set to leave Parliament in August.

Former Cabinet minister Michael Wood is also expected to contest Mt Roskill again after losing the seat at the last election following repeated failures over two-and-a-half years to declare shares held in a trust.

In a statement, Day said the list showcased a “diverse, experienced team ready to deliver for New Zealanders”.

“New Zealanders are doing it tough and deserve a team that is on their side. The team we are putting forward today is focused on ensuring that working hard in New Zealand means getting ahead – that people can afford to live and build a future here at home.”

“National promised to fix the economy and the cost of living. They’ve made both worse. This election is a choice; a government focused on itself, or a team focused on the people of New Zealand,” Day said.

Labour’s 2026 list:

1. Chris Hipkins

2. Carmel Sepuloni

3. Barbara Edmonds

4. Willie Jackson (up from 5)

5. Megan Woods (down from 4)

6. Ayesha Verrall

7. Willow-Jean Prime (up from 8)

8. Vanushi Walters (up from 12)

9. Cushla Tangaere-Manuel (up from 20)

10. Kieran McAnulty (down from 7)

11. Rachel Brooking (up from 17)

12. Ginny Andersen (down from 9)

13. Rakesh Naidoo – new candidate

14. Tangi Utikere (down from 11)

15. Jan Tinetti (down from 10)

16. Damien O’Connor (up from 18)

17. Jo Luxton (down from 15)

18. Priyanca Radhakrishnan (down from 14)

19. Shanan Halbert (up from 28)

20. Chris Flatt – new candidate

21. Reuben Davidson (down from 13)

22. Kingi Kiriona – new candidate

23. Camilla Belich (down from 19)

24. Jenny Salesa (down from 23)

25. Glen Bennett (down from 21)

26. Sophie Handford – new candidate

27. Deborah Russell (down from 16)

28. Tracey McLellan (down from 22)

29. Max Harris – new candidate

30. Warrick Cleine – new candidate

31. Ibrahim Omer – returning candidate, lost Wellington central listed at 37th in 2023

32. Anae Neru Leavasa – returning candidate, lost Takanini listed at 48th in 2023

33. Georgie Dansey (down from 32)

34. Te Pūoho Kātene – new candidate

35. Naisi Chen – returning list candidate, listed at 33 in 2023

36. Dan Rosewarne (down from 31)

37. Rachel Boyack (down from 27)

38. Helen White (down from 30)

39. Ingrid Leary (down from 31)

40. Phil Twyford (down from 25)

41. Arena Williams (down from 24)

42. Lemauga Lydia Sosene (down from 31)

43. Kerrin Leoni – new candidate

44. Toni Boynton – returning candidate, lost Waiariki listed at 39th in 2023

45. Hannah Pia Baral – new candidate

46. Angela Roberts – returning candidate, lost Taranaki-King Country listed at 35th in 2023

47. Estefania Muller-Palarés – returning candidate, lost Whangaparaoa listed at 55th in 2023

48. Anahila Kanongata’a – returning candidate, lost Papakura listed at 34th in 2023

49. Gary Payinda – new candidate

50. Alex Hedley – new candidate

51. Craig Renney – new candidate

52. George Hampton – returning candidate, lost North Shore listed at 41st in 2023

53. Dominik Yanzick – new candidate

54. Rory Paterson – new candidate

55. Ashleigh Latimer – new candidate

56. Rata Jamieson – new candidate

57. Naresh Perinpanayagam – new candidate

58. Peter McDonald – new candidate

59. Amanda Clinton-Gohdes – new candidate

60. Myra Williamson – returning candidate, lost Hamilton West listed at 62nd in 2023

61. Kharag Singh – returning candidate, lost Botany listed at 66th in 2023

62. Janice Lee – new candidate

63. Sam Collins – new candidate

64. Sange Malama – new candidate

65. Rhieve Grey – new candidate

66. Karl Severinsen – new candidate

67. Henrietta Hunkin-Tagaloa – new candidate

68. Fisher Wang – new candidate

69. Brendan McEnroe – new candidate

70. Campbell Matthews – new candidate

71. David Pattemore – new candidate

72. Nathaniel Howe – new candidate

Source: RNZ

The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday (local time) for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leader’s public statement, the second time in three days the network has been targeted for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks.

The attack illustrated the care news outlets must take in reporting during wartime, and the responsibilities of American journalists to report the perspective of countries its government views as enemies. It also exposed inconsistencies.

The message of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during his first public statement since he succeeded his father, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, was widely available elsewhere.

The White House said on social media that “fake news CNN just aired four straight minutes of uninterrupted Iranian state TV, run by the same psychotic and murderous regime that prided itself on brutally slaughtering Americans for 47 years”.

Two days earlier, White House communications director Steven Cheung took issue with CNN anchor Erin Burnett’s interview with Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator. Burnett asked Mousavian what he had been hearing about the Iranian government’s interest in having talks with the United States. There wasn’t much, he said.

“Ever notice how CNN just regurgitates quotes and unverified information from Iranian terrorists?” Cheung wrote on X.

“Total disgrace. They have become the murderous Iranian Regime’s version of Pravda,” he said, referring to the official newspaper of the former Soviet Union.

CNN did not address Cheung’s statement but did respond to the White House attack on Thursday. It noted that CNN, Sky News and Al Jazeera also showed portions of the ayatollah’s statement live.

“The world is watching with anticipation which direction this war will take,” CNN said. “Purported remarks from Iran’s new supreme leader are a critical component in helping audiences understand where this conflict is heading and were aired for their obvious news value.”

Other news outlets, including The Associated Press, sent out alerts on what Khamenei said. His vow to keep up attacks on other Arab countries in the region and plans to choke off the world’s oil supply were headlines.

The New York Times led its website with a story on the speech in its immediate aftermath, later writing that the speech “was an early indication of how the new supreme leader would approach the war, as well as how he would lead the country”.

CNN has long been a favoured target of President Donald Trump, dating back to his first term. It’s a particularly vulnerable time for the network with Paramount Global’s agreement to purchase CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, raising questions about its future editorial independence.

CNN showed a news anchor reading a portion of Khameini’s remarks in Farsi, with an English translation. It did not air them in full. After the speech, correspondent Nick Paton Walsh gave a debrief to anchor Kate Bolduan, noting how the non-appearance of the leader — reportedly injured in an air attack — was as important as what he said.

“We were waiting to see the face of the man to have proof of his health and survival,” Walsh said, “and they’ve not met that moment. Instead, a handwritten message, it seems, that mostly reiterates things we kind of already knew.”

The Tech Transparency Project has reported that several Iranian leaders and institutions maintain verified accounts on X, formerly Twitter, owned by Trump ally Elon Musk. CNBC said Thursday that Khamenei has one of them, and an X account with his portrait posted the text of his remarks, available in Farsi and in an English translation.

Even though Khamenei’s father is dead, an account with his portrait was active on Thursday, mainly reposting messages from his son. “The revenge we have in mind is not just because of the martyrdom of the illustrious Leader of the Revolution,” read one message posted Thursday. “Every member of the nation martyred by the enemy is a separate case that demands we seek revenge.”

X is officially blocked in Iran, although many use a virtual private network to bypass restrictions. A message sent to the platform on Thursday was not immediately returned.

There’s a long history of journalists seeking interviews with world leaders, even when they are regarded as enemies of the United States. Most notable was 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace’s interview with Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, when that country was holding Americans hostage.

Thursday’s remarks by Iran’s new supreme leader were absolutely newsworthy and legitimate for CNN to air them, said Jane Ferguson, a veteran international correspondent and founder of the journalism platform Noosphere. It’s not the job of government leaders to pick apart what CNN is reporting, she said.

“We’ve always faced this,” she said, about when reporters interview leaders or other figures hostile to American interests. “This has been a bit of low-hanging fruit for a while.”

“You have to be leery of being used as a propaganda tool by the Iranian regime,” he said. “On the other hand, knowing what the enemy is saying and looking for a sign of a peace offering or a nuance is important … It’s a difficult balance.”