Politics
Paul Henry is heading to Parliament — or at least ACT is betting on it.
The veteran broadcaster announced this morning he will stand as an ACT Party list candidate at November's general election, having resigned from the TVNZ board to do so. ACT leader David Seymour expects Henry to be in Parliament within roughly four months.
"I expect that the board will put Paul in an electable and respectable position," Seymour said. "We expect to see him in Parliament in about 116 days. He's not only going to give ACT a real boost in getting there. He's going to ensure we keep winning the argument with his communication skills and his infectious enthusiasm."
Henry, who most recently hosted the New Zealand versions of The Traitors and The Chase, is one of the country's most recognisable media faces. He was appointed to the TVNZ board as recently as June last year by Media Minister Paul Goldsmith — a tenure of barely twelve months before today's resignation.
For Henry, the decision is personal as much as political.
"I'm standing for ACT because New Zealand has extraordinary potential, but we are not living up to it," he said. "We should be one of the most prosperous countries on Earth. Instead, too many New Zealanders are struggling to pay the bills, while young people leave in search of better opportunities overseas."
He pointed to his grandchildren as part of his motivation. "My wife and I have ten grandchildren between us. Like every grandparent, I want them to grow up in a country that rewards success, values freedom, and gives people every opportunity to build a better life through their own efforts."
Henry didn't hold back on the previous government. "Six years of Labour, helped along by New Zealand First and the Greens, left New Zealand in the shit and up to its eyeballs in debt," he said. "Since 2023, things have been nudged in the right direction, but nowhere near hard or fast enough."
He framed ACT as the only party willing to name the core problem. "Our economy is too small and our bureaucracy is too big," he said. "We cannot borrow, tax, regulate, or divide our way to prosperity."
Seymour was effusive. "He is sharp, fearless, and an exceptional communicator. More importantly, he has a genuine love for New Zealand and a deep frustration at the opportunities we are wasting," he said. "Paul is not entering politics because he needs another career. He is standing because he refuses to sit back while New Zealand becomes poorer, less ambitious, and divided by race."
It is not Henry's first brush with electoral politics. He stood as National's candidate in the Wairarapa electorate in 1999, losing to Labour's Georgina Beyer, who went on to become New Zealand's first transgender MP. This time, a list position rather than an electorate race makes his path to Parliament considerably cleaner.