David Seymour's ACT currently has 10 seats in Parliament and, based on recent polls, could play a big role in forming the next Government.
With ACT's share of the party vote expected to grow and its traditional partner National also seeing an increase in support, the party appears to be in its best position yet to influence the next Government.
The most-recent Newshub-Reid Research poll is promising for the libertarian party, although it has leaked votes in recent weeks.
Nonetheless, the poll showed ACT able to form a Government with National - although they'd need the support of an old foe of Seymour's - NZ First leader Winston Peters.
So, who is Seymour? And could he be New Zealand's next... deputy Prime Minister?
Background
Seymour is from Auckland and is a descendant of the Ngāpuhi tribe.
He went to the University of Auckland, where he obtained degrees in electrical engineering and philosophy.
Seymour has also lived in Canada where he worked for two think tanks in the private sector, his website says.
Political background
Becoming an MP in 2014, Seymour replaced Jamie Whyte as ACT leader that very same year.
He's held the Epsom seat since 2014 and is standing for the electorate again this year.
After becoming ACT leader, Seymour said he wanted to be "positive about New Zealand and its future".
Under Seymour, ACT continued its confidence and supply arrangement with National. However, he turned down ministerial roles so he could work to get his Euthanaisia Bill over the line.
After ACT received just 0.5 percent of the vote in 2017, Seymour's profile dramatically rose after a stint on Dancing with the Stars.
The party's share of the vote rose dramatically at the last election from just 0.5 percent in 2017 to 7.58 percent in 2020.
Additionally, his Euthanasia Bill went to a referendum during that same election - with 65.91 percent voting in favour of it.
What he wants to achieve
Seymour has admitted becoming deputy Prime Minister is possible, given ACT's recent positioning in the polls. However, recently he told the NZ Herald he didn't believe "having that title is really an achievement", noting he would rather get his party's policies over the line.
Nonetheless, his comments about the deputy PM role are far more optimistic than prior to the 2020 election - during which he flat-out rejected the idea of being then-National leader Judith Collins' 2IC under a prospective National Government. (National lost the election in a landslide, so the hypothetical didn't come to fruition).
Fast-forward to 2023, after two terms in the Opposition, Seymour vows to continue resisting co-governance, while also campaigning to be tough on crime and "wasteful" Government spending. He's even cited trailblazing Kiwi figures to push his agenda.
"[Kate Shephard] said, 'All that separates, whether it be race, religion, class or sex, is inhuman and must be overcome'," he said during last week's Newshub Nation minor parties' debate.
"Who knows, maybe Sir Edmund Hillary would be voting ACT today," Seymour said earlier this month.
"I reckon the chiefs who signed the Treaty would sign up to ACT today," he said during a February speech.
