# West Coast Tasman Election Shift

> New faces challenge Labour's West Coast Tasman seat as mining and environment debates intensify.
- Title: West Coast Tasman Election Shift · RNZ | Shortify
- Summary: New faces challenge Labour's West Coast Tasman seat as mining and environment debates intensify. West Coast Tasman's Labour stronghold faces a shift with new…
- Keywords: west coast tasman, labour, national, nz first, greens, opportunity party, mining, environment, election 2026, politics, news, West
- Source: RNZ — https://rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1734467/election-26-new-faces-in-race-for-west-coast-tasman
- Author: RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa
- Published: 2026-10-04T18:55:26+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: west coast tasman, labour, national, nz first, greens, opportunity party, mining, environment, election 2026, politics, news
## West Coast Tasman seat
The West Coast has traditionally been a Labour stronghold, as the birthplace of the first coal-mining unions that helped shape the party's roots.
## Electorate shift
West Coast Tasman spans 32,000 sq km, including more than half the country's national parks, and flipped from Labour to National in 2023.
## 2023 election result
Pugh won 13,317 votes, defeating O'Connor by 1017 votes, with National securing a 4072 party vote margin.
## New candidates
Former Federated Farmers president Katie Milne runs for National, while teacher Rory Paterson stands for Labour in West Coast Tasman.
## Minor party entries
NZ First's Jamie Cleine, Greens' Andrew Beaumont, and Opportunity Party's Cindie Uddstrom also entered the race.
## Mining debate
Greymouth support worker Sonia Smith says mining must be supported to create jobs while protecting the land.

> We don't want to see mining shut down. I know the Greens want to do that, but I don't want to see that.
## Environmental concerns
PSA union organiser Paul Kearns says the West Coast lacks political vision beyond mining and resource extraction.

> We don't seem to have a vision for the coast, apart from digging more holes and looking for more minerals.
## Unique regional needs
Thomas Bleeker, who moved from Tennessee to Hokitika, says the West Coast has unique regional needs not applicable elsewhere.

> It's really interesting here on the coast. I think there are some really unique sort of regional needs that aren't necessarily applicable to the rest of the country.
## Key takeaway

West Coast Tasman's Labour stronghold faces a shift with new candidates competing for the seat after Pugh's retirement and O'Connor's exit.