High-profile emergency department doctor Gary Payinda is Labour’s Whangārei candidate
Dr Gary Payinda has been chosen as the Labour Party's candidate for Whangārei for 2026. Photo / Denise Piper
High-profile emergency medicine doctor Gary Payinda has been selected as Labour’s candidate for Whangārei – a seat currently held by another doctor, National’s Shane Reti.
Payinda said he wanted to run for politics to stand against the coalition Government’s moves to privatise the likes of healthcare and education.
“As long as I have a voice, I think I need to use it to change the direction this country is running.”
Payinda said he wanted to help make a change in the 2026 election so the coalition Government was not re-elected.
“With another three years of this, we will have such an erosion of public services that New Zealand will be largely unrecognisable in terms of education, healthcare, housing and worker protections.”
Payinda was originally from the US but immigrated to New Zealand with his wife nearly 20 years ago, with the pair raising their children in Northland.
He worked in Whangārei Hospital’s busy emergency department, calling it the “best job imaginable” despite difficulties with a lack of staff.
Payinda was also an assisted dying doctor and medical director of Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
As a delegate for the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, he became vocal against moves by the coalition Government to “put profits above people” and privatise healthcare.
Payinda said more and more people asked him to run for politics and he wanted to help unify the community to stand up.
“When the message is all about de-funding our public services and public gains, and privatising, I think we lose something there.”
Payinda gave full support to Labour’s capital gains tax, which will be used to fund three free GP visits a year for every New Zealander.
This policy will be a game-changer in healthcare, helping people before their conditions worsen and they end up in hospital, he said.
“It will prevent suffering, save lives, reduce pressure on our hospitals and keep people healthier.”
Payinda is one of the first new candidates to be announced by the Labour Party, after he succeeded in a selection process against Māori health leader Louise Kuraia.
His nomination was supported by one-term Whangārei MP Dr Emily Henderson on Monday.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.