Far-right media host Kelvyn Alp has thrown his hat in the ring for the upcoming Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.

The Electoral Commission announced on Tuesday that nominations had closed and revealed the official list of people running for the seat.

Alp, one of the founders of Counterspin Media, was listed as a candidate affiliated with New Zealand Loyal.

The party was led by former television presenter turned anti-vaccine activist Liz Gunn, but in 2024, its registration and logo were cancelled at the party’s request, effective July 26.

This isn’t Alp’s first by-election, as he also contested the Te Tai Tokerau by-election in 2011, where he received just 72 votes out of 12,307.

Besides Alp, another new face in the race is Sherry Lee Matene, who is running as an independent.

How does someone become a candidate?

Official nominations for the Tāmaki Mākaurau by-election have closed.

But those currently in the race just needed four things to run.

• Be a New Zealand citizen (they do not need to be of Māori descent);
• Be enrolled to vote (not necessarily on the Māori roll);
• Be nominated by two registered electors enrolled in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate;
• Pay a $300 NZD deposit.

Candidates do not need to live in or be registered in the electorate to run.

The official list of candidates:

• Oriini Kaipara | Te Pāti Māori
• Peeni Henare | Labour Party
• Hannah Tamaki | Vision New Zealand
• Kelvyn Alp | New Zealand Loyal
• Sherry Lee Matene | Independent

Although Henare is already a sitting MP, if he wins the seat, Georgie Dansey will take his place as a list MP.

Overseas voting for the by-election begins on August 20, with advance voting in Aotearoa starting on August 25. Voting closes at 7pm, September 6.