The Tauranga by-election will happen on Saturday June 18, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced, following the resignation of National's Simon Bridges.
"Mr Bridges has indicated that his resignation will take effect at 5pm on 6 May," Ardern said in a statement on Wednesday. "The by-election will be held on Saturday 18 June, with Writ Day Wednesday 11 May."
Ardern added: "The deadline for candidate nominations to be received will be midday Tuesday 17 May, and the last day for the return of the Writ will be Sunday 10 July."
Bridges, who has held the Tauranga electorate since 2008 after beating New Zealand First leader Winston Peters by more than 10,000 votes, announced his resignation from politics last month.
After more than a decade in Parliament and a stint as National Party leader from February 2018 to May 2020, Bridges said he was "excited about the future and exploring commercial opportunities", and that he might be involved in "a media project or two".
"More important to me than being a politician or a businessman, I'm a partner to Natalie and dad to Emlyn, Harry, and Jemima. This week my oldest two children turn 10 and 8 years old, and I want to be able to give them the best of me."
Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti has been confirmed as Labour's candidate for Tauranga.
"Jan is one of Labour's high-fliers, and is already a fantastic representative in Government and Cabinet for the people of Tauranga," Labour President Claire Szabó said in a statement on Wednesday.
"She has deep roots in the local community, having served as Principal of Tauranga's Merivale School for eleven years before entering Parliament in 2017."
Tauranga is a safe National seat that Labour hasn't won since 1935.
"We've been very clear: this is a seat that hasn't been held by Labour since the 1930s, so we don't expect there to be a change in that fairly strong record in one direction," Ardern said last week.
But Szabó said Tinetti will be "making the case that the Tauranga community has benefited enormously from Labour's strong COVID management, and will benefit again from Labour's strong management as the economy rebuilds, especially through exports and the reopening of tourism".
Tinetti said: "While Labour hasn't won Tauranga in a long time, I'm excited to showcase Labour's values and achievements in this by-election.
"I offer the community in Tauranga a direct voice in Government and a seat at the Cabinet table. The future of Tauranga is central to the future of New Zealand."
National is yet to announce a candidate.
Tania Tapsell, a Rotorua Lakes District Councillor who unsuccessfully stood for National in East Coast in 2020, was touted as a potential candidate for the party in Tauranga. But Tapsell confirmed to AM it won't be her.
The Tauranga electorate includes Tauranga city and Mount Maunganui and extends southwest to Tauriko.
"As in any by-election, people have one vote for their electorate MP. There is no party vote," said Graeme Astle, The Electoral Commission's National Manager of Voting Services.
Overseas voting will start on June 1 and advance voting will start on June 4.
