A clinical pharmacist who grew up in Pakuranga will contest the seat for The Opportunity Party at the November election.
Kevin Huang was named as the party’s Pakuranga candidate on 25 March.
“It would be my genuine pleasure to engage with my fellow New Zealanders and, together, build a future for our families, our community, and our country, a future we all wish to see,” Huang says on his candidate page.
He was born and raised in Pakuranga and describes himself as an Aotearoa New Zealand born Kiwi Chinese.
His party biography says he has watched East Auckland grow and change, and that living locally gave him an appreciation of the pressures on families, from healthcare access to the cost of living.
Huang has worked as a clinical pharmacist across both hospital and community settings.
He was named in a first group of 26 Opportunity candidates.
“We are on track to stand candidates in over thirty electorates this election, because local voices matter,” party leader Qiulae Wong said at the time.
The party has since added more names and now lists 42 candidates.
Pakuranga is held by National’s Simeon Brown, who has been the MP since 2017 and won the seat in 2023 by 18,710 votes.
Brown is also Health Minister and National’s campaign chair.
No Labour candidate for Pakuranga has been announced.
The Opportunity Party took 1.43 per cent of the Pakuranga party vote in 2023 and has never had an MP.
The electorate’s boundaries have changed since, gaining Cockle Bay and Shelly Park from Botany.
The general election is on Saturday 7 November.
