The Honourable David Seymour MP
Seymour in 2023
21st Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 May 2025
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Governor-General	Cindy Kiro
Preceded by	Winston Peters
1st Minister for Regulation
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Christopher Luxon
Preceded by	Office established
7th Leader of ACT New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 October 2014
Deputy	Kenneth Wang Beth Houlbrooke Brooke van Velden
Preceded by	Jamie Whyte
Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forEpsom
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 September 2014
Preceded by	John Banks
Majority	8,142 (20.29%)
Personal details
Born	David Breen Seymour (1983-06-24)24 June 1983 (age 42) Palmerston North, New Zealand
Political party	ACT
Domestic partner	Alexandra Vincent Martelli (since 2022, engaged in 2025)
Alma mater	University of Auckland (BA/BE)
Occupation	Politician
Signature
Website	Official website
Seymour's voice on interview withThe Platform

David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the 21stdeputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2025 and as the 1stminister for regulation since 2023. A member of theACT Party, he has served as itsleader and Member of Parliament (MP) forEpsom since 2014.

Seymour spent his early years inWhangārei and joined the ACT Party while studying at theUniversity of Auckland. Following his graduation in 2006, he worked in the engineering industry. Subsequently, he worked for conservativethink tanks in Canada during the 2000s, before returning to New Zealand and standing unsuccessfully for election to Parliament in 2005 and 2011. He entered theHouse of Representatives in2014 as ACT's sole MP, after which he replacedJamie Whyte as party leader. Seymour'sEnd of Life Choice bill was selected from the members' ballot on 8 June 2017 and wasput to a referendum in October 2020. This referendum was held in conjunction with the2020 general election. It passed with 65.91% of voters in support of the bill coming into force. The bill came into force over a year after the referendum, on 7 November 2021.

Seymour was re-elected in2017, returning as ACT's sole MP. In2020, he led ACT to one of its best results in the 2020, winning ten seats and retaining his Epsom electorate. In the2023 general election, Seymour was re-elected and the ACT Party increased its representation to 11 seats. This was the best result in the party's history, with the party picking up an extra electorate seat inTāmaki. ACT subsequently formed acoalition government with theNational andNew Zealand First parties. Under the coalition arrangement, the position ofdeputy prime minister was split betweenWinston Peters and Seymour. Peters served until 31 May 2025, when he was succeeded by Seymour.

Seymour's views on theprinciples of the Treaty of Waitangi have led to robust debate across the political spectrum. During the 2023 general election, he and the ACT party campaigned for aTreaty Principles Bill, followed by a referendum on the principles. ACT proposed several changes to the principles, including the removal of any references to "partnership (co-governance)" (between the Crown and Māori) from the treaty's use in law and instead refer to "all New Zealanders". As per the coalition agreement, National and New Zealand First supported the bill to select committee. Ultimately, the bill was voted down on its second reading on 10 April 2025 by a vote of 11–112, with all ACT MPs voting in favour of the bill.

Seymour was born inPalmerston North on 24 June 1983.^[1][2] His family moved toWhangārei when he was a child. He is descended through his mother's father from a Māori great-great-great-grandmother, Maraea Te Inutoto, whose husband was Stephen Wrathall. Te Inutoto was from Tauwhara marae atWaimate North and a member of the Ngāti Rehiahapū^[3] ofNgāpuhi. The family's Māori ancestry was discovered through research by Seymour's great-uncles^[3] when he was seven years old.^[4] Seymour went toAuckland Grammar School^[5] and then theUniversity of Auckland, where he graduated in 2006^[6] with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical & Electronic) and a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy).^[7] He then worked in engineering.^[8] During the 2000s, Seymour worked for conservative think tanks in Canada as a policy analyst. These think tanks include theFrontier Centre for Public Policy and theManning Centre in Canada for five years.^{[1][9][10][11]}

Seymour is a long-time member ofACT, initially becoming involved in the political party throughACT on Campus while studying at Auckland University.^[12] While there, he became leader of the student organisation.^[8]

Seymour contested three elections before his eventual success in 2014. He first stood for ACT in2005 inMt Albert and was also ranked 37th on the party list.^[13][14] He was unsuccessful in the electorate, which was held byHelen Clark, the prime minister at the time, and with 1.51% of the party vote ACT returned only two members to parliament, leaving Seymour out.^[15] While living in Canada, Seymour contested the2008 election for ACT as list-only candidate, ranked 55th.^[16][17]

At the2011 general election, Seymour stood for ACT in theAuckland Central electorate, but the electorate was retained byNational'sNikki Kaye.^[18] Seymour was ranked fifth on the party list,^[19] but with 1.07% of the party vote,^[20] ACT was unable to return anylist MPs to parliament, andJohn Banks, who had retained theEpsom seat for ACT, was the party's only sitting member.^[20]

After the 2011 election, Seymour worked as a ministerial adviser for Banks, who was appointed an Associate Minister of Education for theJohn Key-led National government. Seymour assisted with the development of the government'sPartnership Schools legislation.^[21][22]

In late 2013, John Banks resigned from his ministerial positions following criminal charges in relation to electoral returns in his bid for theAuckland mayoralty in 2010.^[23] In June 2014 he announced he would resign from ACT Party leadership and not contest Epsom in the2014 election.^[24]

In February 2014, at the same time thatJamie Whyte was made leader of the ACT Party, Seymour won the nomination to stand as the party's candidate for Epsom.^[25] The electorate had already proven strategically important for ACT. Seymour's selection for Epsom, over former deputy leader and party presidentJohn Boscawen,^[12] was described by political commentators as the "clean slate" choice^[26] and a "fresh face".^[27][28] Seymour was the first confirmed candidate for the Epsom electorate,^[29][30] and at an Epsom public meeting during his campaign he was described as "the most popular with the crowd" and "the star of the night, intelligent, witty and articulate".^[31][32]

During the 2014 election campaign, Seymour released a campaign video online which the ACT Party described as going "viral" after it received around 35,000 views. Seymour said of the video: "I think it was just totally real, we didn't set out to make it funny or make it a viral video, it was just me being me, that combination with rather retro production values ... you wouldn't want to watch it standing up."^[33] Seymour was endorsed for the Epsom electorate by Prime MinisterJohn Key, despite Key'sNational colleaguePaul Goldsmith also contesting the electorate.^[34]

At the election, Seymour was elected for the Epsom electorate with a majority of 4,250 votes.^[33][35] Jamie Whyte did not win in his bid for thePakuranga electorate, and Seymour replaced Whyte as the leader of ACT on 3 October 2014.^[36][37]

National returned as a minority government with ACT in confidence and supply in 2014, and Seymour was appointedparliamentary under-secretary to theMinister of Education and Minister of Regulatory Reform on 29 September 2014, as a result of National's confidence and supply agreement with ACT. Seymour was given responsibility forpartnership schools, and reforms to theResource Management Act 1991 and other regulation.^[38]

In October 2015, a Labour Partymember's bill to make parliamentary under-secretaries subject to theOfficial Information Act passed its first reading in Parliament. Seymour accused the bill of personally attacking him, and said it was not necessary because under-secretaries did not have decision-making powers.^[39] Nonetheless, Seymour was one of 109 members of Parliament who voted in favour of the legislation at its third reading in June 2016.^[40]

Contracts in the second round of applications forcharter (partnership) schools were completed on 11 September 2014.^[41] In January 2016, the contract was terminated for a Northland charter school from the first round, Te Pūmanawa o te Wairua.^[42] Seymour continued to support the policy and push for more charter schools to be established.^[43]

On 6 June 2015, Seymour confirmed that he was preparing a member's bill known as theEnd of Life Choice Bill that would legaliseassisted dying. This bill was in response to the decision inSeales v Attorney-General that stated only parliament had the ability to address assisted suicide laws.^[44] On 14 October 2015, Seymour lodged the End of Life Choice Bill into the member's ballot, launched a website promoting his bill, and released an ACT-commissioned poll of 2800 people showing 66% public support in favour of legalising assisted dying.^[45] The bill passed its first reading 76–44 in December 2017 and its second reading 70–50 in June 2019.^[46][47] In the committee of the whole House, support from theNew Zealand First party became conditional on a referendum to decide whether the law should come into force.^[48] An amendment to require a referendum passed 69–51,^[49] and the bill passed its third reading with the same numbers on 13 November.^[50] The bill receivedroyal assent on 16 November 2019, becoming theEnd of Life Choice Act 2019. A referendum was held on 17 October 2020. The vote was held in conjunction with the2020 general election, and official results were released on 6 November 2020. It was accepted by New Zealand voters, with 65.1% in support and 33.7% opposed.^[51]

In August 2015, Seymour introduced a member's bill to allow bars and rugby clubs to extend their bar trading hours when they are televising games from theRugby World Cup. Most games, due to the time difference between New Zealand and England, started between 4 am and 6 am New Zealand Time, meaning that alcohol would not usually have been allowed to be sold. Despite opposition from theGreen Party and theMāori Party, Seymour's bill passed all three readings, meaning that bars and rugby clubs were allowed to open forRugby World Cup games.^[52]

In 2015, Seymour became a member of a cross-party group initiated byJan Logie to look at and advocate forLGBTI rights. The group also included:Catherine Delahunty (Green),Chris Bishop (National),Denis O'Rourke (NZ First),Denise Roche (Green),James Shaw (Green),Kevin Hague (Green),Louisa Wall (Labour),Nanaia Mahuta (Labour),Paul Foster-Bell (National), andTrevor Mallard (Labour).^[53]

On 4 August 2017, Seymour and Transport MinisterSimon Bridges helped to makeUber become part of New Zealand's transport system.^[54] This also opened other ride-sharing apps likeDiDi andOla to enter and co-exist in the market.

Seymour was re-elected to Parliament for Epsom in the2017 general election as the sole ACT Member of Parliament.^[55]

On 8 June 2017, Seymour's bill was selected from the members' ballot.^[56] The bill was debated at its first reading on 13 December 2017, and passed with 76 votes in favour and 44 against.^[57] It was then reviewed by the Justice Select Committee. It reappeared before the House for a second reading 26 June 2019 and passed, with 70 votes in favour, 50 opposed.^[58][59] An amendment to the bill, which included the requirement that it be approved by a binding referendum before it would take effect, passed prior to its third reading with 63 votes in favour and 57 opposed.^[60] The bill reappeared before the House and passed its third reading on 13 November 2019 with 69 votes in favour and 51 votes against.^[61]

In an interview on the day of the third reading, Seymour said that he was confident that the public would vote to put the act into law, noting that "there was overwhelming support and it should easily pass the referendum."^[62] The act was approved in the2020 New Zealand euthanasia referendum, which was held in conjunction with the2020 general election, with a 65.91% of voters in favour of the act.^[63]

Seymour was the sole Member of Parliament to oppose theLabour-led coalition government'sArms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019, which bans all semi-automatic firearms used during theChristchurch mosque shootings that occurred on 15 March 2019. Although he missed an initial procedural vote on the bill, he still cast a No vote when voting on the actual bill took place with a final result of 119 to 1. Seymour criticised the speed of the government's gun control legislation.^[64][65][66]

Despite announcing that the ACT party would vote against theClimate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act, Seymour was absent from the vote on the bill's third reading. This allowed it to pass into law with unanimous support, 119–0, drawing the attention of local media.^[67]

Seymour supported theAbortion Legislation Act 2020 but argued that "safe zones", which would have established 150-metre protest-free areas around abortion clinics, would infringe upon freedom of expression.^[68] Prior to the third reading of the bill on 10 March 2020, Seymour successfully included an amendment eliminating safe zones around abortion clinics.^[69][70][71] The bill passed its third reading on 18 March, receiving royal assent on 23 March.^[72] Safe zones were eventually reinstated through theContraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Act 2022, which Seymour supported.^[73]

During theCOVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Seymour served as a member of theEpidemic Response Committee from 25 March 2020.^[74]

During the2020 New Zealand general election, Seymour contested theEpsom electorate and was re-elected by a margin of 9,224 votes.^[75] In addition, ACT won eight percent of the popular vote, winning ten seats in Parliament (with nine on the party list).^[76] In the much expanded caucus, Seymour held the specific portfolios of Finance and COVID-19 Response spokespersons, while remaining leader of the ACT party.^[77]

Seymour's third member's bill to be debated in Parliament, the Regulatory Standards Bill, was drawn from the ballot in June 2021. It proposed stricter rules around government regulation making but failed its first reading in July 2021 without the support of the Labour government.^[78] Following that bill's introduction, but before its defeat, Seymour announced his next member's bill would establish a legislative framework for four-year terms of Parliament.^[79]

Following theDelta variant outbreak that began in August 2021, Seymour released ACT's COVID 3.0 strategy, which advocated replacing the government's elimination strategy with a "harm minimisation" strategy that focused on isolating infected individuals and easing border restrictions for travellers from low risk countries.^[80] In November 2021, Seymour advocated a regular testing regime for unvaccinated workers instead of the government's vaccine mandate for education, health and hospitality workers.^[81]

In December 2021, Seymour opposed the proposed joint Police and Māori iwi (tribal) checkpoints that screened travellers from Auckland heading into the Northland region from 15 December, arguing they would restrict people's freedom of movement. These checkpoints were located at State Highway 1 inUretiti and State Highway 12 nearMaungaturoto through the initiative of formerMana Movement leaderHone Harawira's Tai Tokerau Border Control. Seymour's criticisms were echoed by National Party leaderChristopher Luxon andNew Zealand First politiciansWinston Peters andShane Jones.^[82][83] In response, Labour's deputy leader andTe Tai Tokerau Member of ParliamentKelvin Davis alleged that criticism of the iwi-led checkpoints was motivated by anti-Māori racism.^[84]

In mid December 2022, Seymour questionedPrime MinisterJacinda Ardern during the ParliamentaryQuestion time. As she sat down after answering, Ardern was recorded calling Seymour an "arrogant prick" on ahot mic, which meant the remark was recorded inHansard. Ardern later issued a personal apology to Seymour because, she said, her remarks were now on record. Since New Zealand parliamentary debates are televised, the comment was also aired on television.^[85][86] The two politicians subsequently reconciled and joined forces to raise NZ$60,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation by auctioning a signed and framed copy of the Prime Minister's remark.^[87]

In the2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Seymour was re-elected inEpsom by a margin of 8,142 votes.^[88] ACT won 8.64 percent of the popular vote and gained 11 seats in Parliament.^[89] Following the election, ACT entered into coalition talks with theNational andNew Zealand First parties to form anew government.^[90][91]

On 24 November, the three parties concluded coalition talks and reached an agreement on policy issues and ministerial portfolios. Seymour expressed confidence that ACT had secured a favourable coalition deal. He toldThe New Zealand Herald that the Government would announce a 100-day plan that could include repealing some legislation passed by the outgoingLabour government.^[92]

As part of the coalition negotiations, Seymour will share the position ofdeputy prime minister with Peters for the term of the54th New Zealand Parliament. Peters served as deputy prime minister until 31 May 2025, and then Seymour assumed the office until the conclusion of the term.^[93] He is the firstminister for regulation,^[94] a portfolio he proposed.^[95] He was also appointed as an associate minister of education (partnership schools), finance, and health (Pharmac).^[96]

In early March 2024 Seymour, in his capacity as Associate Minister of Education, confirmed that the $350 million Government-fundedschool lunch programme "Ka Ora, Ka Ako" would be reviewed prior to the2024 New Zealand budget. He claimed there was no evidence that the school lunch programme had improved school achievement and attendance. Seymour cited a 2023 Treasury report which found that 12 percent of lunches (roughly 10,000 a day) were wasted. He has also suggested imposing fines on parents fortruancy. The contract was due to expire at the end of 2024.^[97] The school lunch programme serves 220,000 students across New Zealand.^[98] In response,Porirua College deputy principal John Topp and attendance officer Mose Skipworth defended the school lunches programme and said that scrapping it would lead to an increase in truancy.^[97] In response, the Health Coalition Aotearoa sought a meeting with Seymour to argue for the school lunch programme, arguing that scaling back or shutting down the programme would worsen hardship and poor educational outcomes among deprived children.^[98][99]

On 14 March 2024, Seymour visitedFreyberg High School inPalmerston North and met with staff members, including principal Graeme Williams, to discuss truancy. Towards the end of the visit, several students staged thehaka (posture dance) "Ka Mate" to protest against the Government's proposal to slash the free school lunch programmeKa Ora, Ka Ako and perceived anti-Māori policies. One student waving thenational Māori flag also spat near Seymour.^[100][101] Williams condemned the students' behaviour as "totally unacceptable" and said that those responsible would be subject to disciplinary procedures.^[101] Seymour said that one or two students failed to respecttikanga Māori/Māori cultural values including hospitality and that the students were being affected by "torrents of information that isn't quite true."^[101] Seymour also expressed interest in meeting Freyberg High School students on his next visit.^[100] Following a 7,000-strong petition supporting the students, Williams announced that the school would not discipline the students involved in the protest but would instead work with the localiwi (tribe)Ngāti Ruanui Tumu Whakaae, theMinistry of Education, and board of trustees to implement a restorative process to address the incident.^[102]

In early April 2024, Seymour created an eight-member "Charter School/Kura Hourua Establishment Board" to facilitate the reintroduction ofcharter schools. The Board is headed bySt Cuthbert's College principal Justine Mahon, with other notable members includingGlen Denham and ProfessorElizabeth Rata. The Board aims to reestablish charter schools by 2025.^[103] On 16 April, Seymour announced several changes to the early childhood education sector including easing teaching qualification requirements, allowing the government to decide the location of early childhood centres, and introducing mandatory reporting of child abuse.^[104]

On 1 May 2024, Seymour confirmed that the Government would continue to fund the previous Labour Government's free school lunches programme for a few years until the completion of a review into the programme.^[105] On 8 May, Seymour announced the Government's modified school lunch programme, which would cost $234.8 million for the 2025 school year. Under the revised scheme, 10,000 pre-schoolers in low-equity, non-profit early childhood centres would be eligible for free morning tea and lunch five days a week at a cost of $4 million. While the school lunch programme would remain unchanged for primary school students in 2025, the school lunch programme for intermediate and high school students would be bulk-purchased by the Government and delivered to schools.^[106]

On 14 May, Seymour announced that the Government would allocate $153 million from the 2024 budget to convert 35 state schools into charter schools and establish 15 new charter schools between 2025 and 2026.^[107] Labour's education spokespersonJan Tinetti, Green education spokespersonLawrence Xu-Nan, theNew Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and thePost Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) objected to the Government's charter school plans on the grounds that they were "profit-driven", would divert funding from overwhelmed state schools, disadvantaged children with behavioural issues and disabilities and did not have to hire qualified teachers.^[108][109] By contrast, Innovative Education Consultants head consultant Alwyn Poole and St Stephen's School co-principal Nathan Durie welcomed the reintroduction of charter schools, arguing that they would meet the needs of children and bring flexibility to the educational system.^[108][109]

In late September 2024, Seymour confirmed that the Government would prosecute parents for persistent truancy and remove teacher-only days during school term time.^[110] This policy was subsequently reversed by Education MinisterErica Stanford, who confirmed four "teacher only days" in 2025 for state schools to implement the Government's new curriculum.^[111]

In mid-October 2024, Seymour released details of the Government's revised free school lunch programme, which would be launched in Term 1 2024. Seymour said that the revamped programme would save $130 million a year, with meals costing an average of NZ$3. Meals would consist of chicken katsu, butter chicken, lasagne, chicken pasta salad and wraps. Meals for students in Years 0 to 9 would be an average of 240 grams while meals for older students would be at least 300g with additional items including fruit, yoghurt or muesli bars. Schools would receive funding and resources to either prepare their meals internally, iwi/hapū providers and external suppliers including Gilmours,Foodstuffs,Watties andHellers.^[112][113]

On 19 December 2024, Seymour and Tertiary Education MinisterPenny Simmonds announced that the Government would amend the Education and Training Act 2020 to strengthen universities' free speech obligations.^[114]

In late April 2025, Seymour issued a letter to the 78 mayors of thelocal district councils, urging them to combat truancy and to boost school attendance in their local communities. Several mayors includingMayor of ChristchurchPhil Mauger regarded Seymour's letter as hypocritical due to the government's earlier messaging that local governments should focus on core services like roads and water.^[115]

On 10 March 2024, Seymour announced that the Government would restore interest deductions on residential investment properties.^[116]

In mid-July 2024, Associate Health Minister Seymour had instructed the pharmaceutical purchasing agencyPharmac to stop factorising theTreaty of Waitangi in its decisions, writing that "Pharmac's role should focus on delivering improved health outcomes underpinned by robust data and evidence, in accordance with its statutory responsibilities. This should serve all New Zealanders based on actual need, without assigning their background as a proxy of need."^[117] While Seymour's directive was supported Pharmac board chairPaula Bennett and Patient Voice Aotearoa chair Malcolm Mulholland, it was criticised by formerMāori Health Authority clinical lead Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen, who said that the Government could do more to improve Māori access to health services and medicines.^[118]

Seymour served asacting prime minister from 14 to 20 July 2024 during Prime Minister Luxon's personal leave following his trip to the US. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters was unavailable for the role as he was visiting Japan and South Korea at the time.^[119] As acting prime minister, Seymour toured the Government'sMilitary-Style Academy Pilot for youth offenders with Children's MinisterKaren Chhour and the media on 20 July.^[120]

AsMinister for Regulation, Seymour is the sponsor of the proposedRegulatory Standards Bill, saying that its purpose was to "increase transparency in lawmaking." He said that the proposed bill would prioritise individual and property rights, enabling business growth and opportunities. The Regulatory Standards Bill has been criticised byUniversity of Auckland law ProfessorJane Kelsey, who said it would circumscribe scrutiny and prioritised property rights over other considerations including theTreaty of Waitangi, the environment and workplace safety. Similarly, researcher Melanie Nelson claimed the bill lacked a "democratic mandate for constitutional changes of this magnitude." By contrast,New Zealand Initiative senior research fellow Bryce Wilkinson argued that good quality legislation was needed to protect personal autonomy and property.^[121]

On 13 November, Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill passed its third reading along party lines; with the National, Act and NZ First parties voting in favour and the Labour, Green and Māori parties opposing the bill. During the final debate, Seymour argued that the bill would help identify the costs of new legislation and collective projects on the public.^[122][123]

Seymour has embracedlibertarian social policies since becoming party leader, such as supporting the legalisation ofeuthanasia, and introducing theEnd of Life Choice Act 2019.^[124] He has emerged as a vocal opponent of co-governance withMāori, and supports raising theretirement age and enacting tax cuts.^{[125][126][127]} Seymour has increasingly caused controversy for his outspoken views, which include comparing co-governance withapartheid,^[128][129] opposing Māori vaccination prioritisation,^[130][131] and a joke about sendingGuy Fawkes to blow up theMinistry of Pacific Peoples.^[132][133]

Since 2021, Seymour has been a vocal opponent ofco-governance initiatives, a term referring toMāori people andthe Crown sharing decision-making. In Parliament, he has opposedThree Waters,^[134]He Puapua,^[135] theMāori Health Authority and the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill. He said: "The net result [of co-governance] is that someone who's not accountable to the wider community gets the right to say 'no' because of their birth. It's a recipe for frustration at best and resentment and division at worst."^[136] After Seymour proposed to abolish theMinistry of Māori Development, Labour MPWillie Jackson labelled Seymour a "useless Maori" and "that [he] would 'do anything' for votes."^[129]

During the 2023 electoral campaign, Seymour advocated for a referendum on co-governance.^[137][138] There was strong opposition to the proposal by those who saw it as divisive.^{[139][140][141]} Seymour was quoted as saying, "I think there is a real need for us to have a genuine, high-quality conversation around co-governance."^[142]

On 19 January 2024, a draft of the ACT party'sTreaty Principles Bill was leaked.^[143] It was met with criticism from many Māori political figures, includingMāori Party co-leadersDebbie-Ngarewa Packer andRawiri Waititi,^[143] as well as from academics, such asMichael Belgrave, a historian andMassey University professor, "Anyone who knows anything about this topic wouldn't come up with this policy... [Act] don't have any understanding of the 50 years of Treaty principles debate".^[143] Leaked advice from theMinistry of Justice suggested that the bill was "highly contentious" due to "the fundamental constitutional nature of the subject matter and the lack of consultation with the public on the policy development prior toSelect Committee".^[144]

Paul Goldsmith, theMinister of Justice, subsequently appeared on television to re-confirm prime minister Christopher Luxon's position on the proposed bill, saying that "the coalition agreement is clear that the government will support a bill on Treaty principles to first reading. However, Christopher Luxon has been clear that National has no intention to support it beyond that."^[143] Ultimately, the bill was voted down on its second reading on 10 April 2025.^[145][146]

As reported in February 2024, a poll on various matters before the government showed 36% of respondents in support of a referendum "on the Treaty of Waitangi" with 35% opposed, and the rest undecided.^[147]

In mid-May 2019, Seymour generated widespread criticism, including from MPs from all of the other parties, when he stated in a radio interview thatGreen Party list MPGolriz Ghahraman was a "menace to freedom in [New Zealand]." Critics suggested Seymour's association of Ghahraman's support for hate speech laws with suppression of free speech by dictators likeMao Zedong andAdolf Hitler was inappropriate. Seymour argued that he had merely "attacked her views".^[148][149]

Seymour's concern is that the strengthening of hate speech laws is "divisive and dangerous" since the power of the state could be used by the majority to "silence unpopular views". He believes, if the law is strengthened, that what is considered hate speech will become "too subjective" and open to being abused.^[150]

In September 2021, Seymour caused a controversy after releasing a specialCOVID-19 vaccination appointment access code meant exclusively forMāori people in Auckland to his followers onTwitter.^[130] The code was intended for the population that is the least vaccinated and most at-risk for COVID-19 demographic in New Zealand.^[151][152] The code offered priority access for Māori who wished to be vaccinated by Whānau Waipareira (a Māori social services agency) at theTrusts Arena inWest Auckland.^[153] While the move was supported by right-wing groups,^[154] it was criticised by Whānau Waipareira CEOJohn Tamihere and Seymour was faced with allegations of racism towards Māori despite his own Māori heritage.^[155][156]

Seymour defended his actions, stating that "access to vaccination has been the same for people of all ethnic backgrounds." He alleged that the code was a move by the government that suggested "Māori people have trouble making a booking".^[157] He told media that "the virus doesn't discriminate on race, so neither should the roll out."^[131]

On 17 August 2023, Seymour joked about bombing theMinistry for Pacific Peoples during an interview withNewstalk ZB following revelations about wasteful spending by the Ministry earlier in August. During the interview, Seymour claimed "in his fantasy' he would "send a guy likeGuy Fawkes" into the Ministry's headquarters and "it'd all be over", apparently implying he would have itblown up.^[158] This was a reference to theGunpowder Plot, planned in 1605 by EnglishCatholic plotters but foiled at the last minute.^[159] ACT has campaigned for the abolition of the Ministry, alongside theHuman Rights Commission andMinistry for Women.^[160] Seymour's remarks were criticised by Deputy Prime MinisterCarmel Sepuloni and former National Party ministerAlfred Ngaro as inflammatory and insensitive towardsPasifika New Zealanders.^[160][132] Te Pāti Māori leaderDebbie Ngarewa-Packer accused him ofhate speech.^[161] Prime Minister Chris Hipkins condemned Seymour's comments, 'should be ashamed of himself'.^[162] Seymour refused to apologise for his remarks, claiming he was joking.^[132]

Someone subsequently filed a Police report against Seymour for his remarks, but no offence was identified.^[133]

In a 2023 interview withMihingarangi Forbes, Seymour was questioned about his links to theAtlas Network, an American think tank and policy institute known for itsclimate change denial. Seymour firmly denounced Forbes' line of questioning and described his supposed connection to the group as a "crazyconspiracy theory".^[163]

However, Seymour does in fact have links to the Atlas Network; during his work for the Canadian conservative think tanksFrontier Centre for Public Policy and theManning Centre, he was a graduate of the Atlas Networks' 2008 "MBA for Think Tanks" program.^{[164][original research?]} Seymour also featured in their Autumn 2008 year-in-review magazine.^[164] A clip of Seymour during his time working for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, in which he spoke with a deliberately acquired Canadian accent, subsequently went viral.^[165] In his 2021Waitangi Day speech, available on the ACT Party website, Seymour also referred to "my old friends at the Atlas Network".^[166]

Seymour accepts thescientific consensus on climate change, and has denied the ACT Party is contributing to climate change denial after a 2008 ACT party policy underRodney Hide stated there is "no warming trend since 1970". Seymour said he disagreed with that statement saying "I believe New Zealand is warming".^[167]

Seymour shrank the budget forfree school lunches, a programme introduced by the previous Sixth Labour Government that he has long opposed.^[168] On 8 May 2024, Seymour had launched a modified NZ$234.8 million school lunch programme for the 2025 school year. While the school lunch programme would remained unchanged for primary school students, the school lunch programme for intermediate and high school students would be bulk-purchased by the Government and delivered to schools. During the press announcement, Seymour stated that the bulk-purchased food would consist ofsandwiches and fruit rather thanquinoa,couscous, andhummus. When asked about food items such as sushi, Seymour said "If you don't get that sushi'swoke, then I don't know how to wake you up, but the key message here is that we are introducing the kinds of foods that are put in the lunchboxes of children, the other 75 percent of kids, who rely on their parents to send their lunch."^[106] Labour's education spokespersonJan Tinetti welcomed the retention of the school lunch programme but expressed concerns about changes to the secondary school lunch programme. Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Boyd Swinburn questioned the nutritional value of bulk-purchased foods whileDish Magazine editor Sarah Tuck defended the nutritional value of quinoa and sushi.^[169][170]

At the start of the 2025 school year between late January and early February 2025, several schools reported problems with the revised school lunch programme including late or missed deliveries, uncooked food, insufficient nutrition, food wastage, ham inhalal meals and a shortage of vegetarian meals.^{[171][172][173][174]} Consequently, several schools were forced to use their own funds to buy meals for pupils.^[173][171] In response to rollout issues and criticism, Seymour apologised for "teething issues" in the rollout of school lunches, which he attributed to operational issues behind delivering large amounts of meals.^[173] Seymour accepted the school lunch scheme needed improvements but defended cost-cutting measures as necessary to saving taxpayer money.^[174] By contrast, Labour's education spokesperson Tinetti criticised the National-led government for allegedly prioritising tax cuts over proper nutrition for children.^[173]

On 27 February 2025, Seymour rejected calls to sack school lunch provider School Lunch Collective and argued that the current school lunch programme was better than Labour's iteration.^[175] On 1 March, Prime Minister Luxon said that the school lunch programme was experiencing "teething issues" and said that Seymour "will work his way through those issues... and I expect he will [find a solution]."^[176] On 4 March, theMinistry for Primary Industries launched an investigation into School Lunch Collective meals after children were served meals with melted plastic packaging.^[177]

On 11 March, the Libelle Group went into liquidation. The company had been contracted by theCompass Group to provide 125,000 meals to the Government's school meal programme.^[178] By 12 March,Radio New Zealand reported that the School Lunch Collective had turned to Australian providers to address the shortfall caused by Libelle's liquidation.^[179]

On 9 February 2025, Seymour acknowledged that he had written a letter to Auckland District Commander Karyn Malthus in April 2022 complaining about former eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne's treatment by Police during the course of their investigation intothe death of his wife Pauline Hanna. Seymour said that he had written to Police in his capacity as Polkinghorne's electorate member of Parliament. Seymour had written the letter prior to Police charging Polkinghorne with murder in August 2022.^[180][181] On 10 February 2025, Prime Minister Luxon criticised Seymour's letter as "ill-advised" since Polkinghorne was the subject of an active Police investigation at the time. In response, Seymour countered that he was advocating for a constituent and believed that Police had gone "beyond the brief" of their investigation at the time.^[181] Later that night, Seymour met with Luxon to resolve their differences regarding the Polkinghorne letter.^[182] Seymour's actions were also criticised byLabour Party leaderChris Hipkins, who called for his resignation as a cabinet minister, and Chief Victims' Advisor Ruth Money, who said that Seymour should have raised Polkinghorne's concerns with theIndependent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).^[183]

On 10 February 2025, Seymour attracted media attention after driving a 1948Land Rover up the steps of theNew Zealand House of Representatives in order to raise funds for theUniversity of Auckland's Centre for Heart Research'sheart valve development programme. The Land Rover had been purchased from Dunedin by the centre's director Professor Julian Paton, who was relocating it to Auckland. A security officer stopped Seymour from completing the full climb and informed him that he did not have permission from the Speaker of the House.^[184] During the incident, Seymour said "you shouldn't have to get permission do to every little thing in New Zealand" and said that Members of Parliament should not need to seek permission since Parliament was their workplace. On 11 February, Speaker Gerry Brownlee rebuked Seymour for suggesting that MPs could do as they please at Parliament. Seymour subsequently apologised for his actions in a letter.^[185]

During a speech to theTauranga Business Chamber on 1 May 2025, Seymour proposed reducing the number ofNew Zealand Cabinet ministers, describing the current ministerial lineup as "looking bloated and full of meaningless titles." He said:

We currently have 82 ministerial portfolios... held by 28 ministers. And under them, we have 41 separate government departments. Something has to change... sure, that might put me and a few of my colleagues out of a job. But if that's the price... then it's worth it.^[186]

Seymour has proposed reducing the ministerial lineup to 20 cabinet ministers, with no associate positions except for theMinister of Finance.^[186]

In late June 2025, Seymour published several social media posts targeting several critics of hisRegulatory Standards Bill, whom he claimed were suffering from a "derangement syndrome." These critics includedMayor of WellingtonTory Whanau, Labour MPWillie Jackson, academics DameAnne Salmond, George Laking, andMetiria Turei. In response, Whanau and Salmond accused Seymour of breaching the Cabinet Manual and announced they would lodge complains with the Prime Minister and theNew Zealand Cabinet Office. Similar criticism was echoed by Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who said that Seymour's conduct was "unbecoming" of a Minister of the Crown. In response to criticism, Seymour said he was responding to "incorrect statements" and "being playful with them."^[187]

In June 2025, theUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesAlbert Kwokwo Barume wrote a letter to the New Zealand Government raising concerns about several policies affecting indigenous people including the Regulatory Standards Bill. Barume said that the legislation risked undermining the Government'sTreaty of Waitangi obligations and sidelining Māori. In mid July 2025, Seymour wrote a letter dismissing theUnited Nations' concerns as "insane." In response, Prime Minister Luxon and Foreign Minister Peters criticised Seymour for writing a reply without consulting with his Cabinet colleagues.^[188][189] Following a meeting with Luxon, Seymour agreed to rescind his letter and allow Peters to issue an official response to Barume's letter.^[189]

Seymour appeared on the seventh series ofDancing with the Stars. He competed to raise funds forKidsline, a youth telephone counselling service. His professional dancing partner was Amelia McGregor.^[190] Despite harsh criticism from the judges,^[191] he finished 5th.^[192]

In an interview in 2021, Seymour said he would love to start a family and would "give up politics in a heartbeat". In November 2024, he announced he had been dating Alexandra Martelli, an Auckland property buyer for the last two years, adding that he was "effectively married to Parliament" which gets in the way of starting a family.^[193] They got engaged in 2025.^[194]

In late August 2025,Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky awarded Seymour theOrder of Merit, Third Class for supporting Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty, charitable activity and promoting Ukraine in the world. Seymour was one of 143 recipients of the Order of Merit in 2025, which included political figures fromPortugal,Finland,Croatia and theNetherlands.^[195]

2005 general election: Mount Albert[196]
Notes:		Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. AY orN denotes status of anyincumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party		Candidate		Votes	%	±%	Party votes	%	±%
	Labour	YHelen Clark		20,918	66.55	-1.94	17,501	54.33	+2.53
	National	Ravi Musuku		6,169	19.63		8,488	26.35	+13.33
	Green	Jon Carapiet		1,485	4.72	-0.67	2,985	9.27	-1.35
	NZ First	Julian Batchelor		746	2.37		1,089	3.38	-3.01
	ACT	David Seymour		746	2.37		651	2.02	-5.09
	United Future	Tony Gordon		529	1.68		649	2.01	-3.28
	Progressive	Jenny Wilson		407	1.29		525	1.59	-0.10
	Destiny	Anne Williamson		337	1.07		157	0.49
	Independent	Jim Bagnall		83	0.26
	Anti-Capitalist Alliance	Daphna Whitmore		79	0.25	-0.15
	Independent	Anthony Ravlich		47	0.15
	Direct Democracy	Howard Ponga		30	0.10		10	0.03
	Independent	Erik Taylor		29	0.09
	Māori Party						168	0.52
	Legalise Cannabis						43	0.13	-0.40
	Christian Heritage						40	0.12	-0.89
	Alliance						22	0.07	-1.69
	Family Rights						20	0.06
	Libertarianz						19	0.06
	RONZ						8	0.02
	99 MP						6	0.02
	Democrats						3	0.01
	One NZ						0	0.00	-0.01
Informal votes				316			130
Total valid votes				31,747			32,342
	Labourhold		Majority	14,749

2011 general election: Auckland Central[197]
Notes:		Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. AY orN denotes status of anyincumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party		Candidate		Votes	%	±%	Party votes	%	±%
	National	YNikki Kaye		15,038	45.39	+2.48	14,447	42.24	+2.15
	Labour	Jacinda Ardern		14,321	43.23	+4.69	8,590	25.11	–9.44
	Green	Denise Roche		2,903	8.76	–4.66	7,797	22.79	+7.33
	NZ First	Allen Davies		412	1.24	+1.24	1,403	4.10	+1.81
	Conservative	Stephen Greenfield		238	0.72	+0.72	280	0.82	+0.82
	ACT	David Seymour		149	0.45	–1.25	404	1.18	–2.95
	Human Rights	Anthony van den Heuval		68	0.21	+0.01
	Māori Party						562	1.64	+0.71
	Mana						237	0.69	+0.69
	Democrats						202	0.59	+0.56
	Legalise Cannabis						146	0.43	+0.14
	United Future						75	0.22	–0.46
	Libertarianz						53	0.15	+0.08
	Alliance						10	0.03	–0.002
Informal votes				352			164
Total valid votes				33,129			34,206
	Nationalhold		Majority	717	2.16	–2.21

2017 general election: Epsom[199]
Notes:		Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. AY orN denotes status of anyincumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party		Candidate		Votes	%	±%	Party votes	%	±%
	ACT	YDavid Seymour		16,505	43.17	+0.09	696	1.78	−0.94
	National	Paul Goldsmith		10,986	28.73	−2.87	22,875	58.64	−4.41
	Labour	David Parker		7,067	18.49	+9.13	9,575	24.55	+11.16
	Green	Barry Coates		2,785	7.28	−0.87	3,263	8.37	−4.13
	NZ First	Julian Paul		657	1.72	+0.22	1,229	3.15	−0.32
	Conservative	Leighton Baker		230	0.60	−4.05	80	0.20	−2.27
	Opportunities						1,043	2.67	—
	Māori Party						124	0.32	−0.14
	Legalise Cannabis						38	0.10	−0.10
	People's Party						34	0.09	—
	United Future						24	0.06	−0.10
	Ban 1080						9	0.02	0.00
	Democrats						7	0.02	−0.01
	Outdoors						7	0.02	—
	Internet						6	0.02	−0.81[b]
	Mana Party						6	0.02	−0.81[c]
Informal votes				317			76
Total valid votes				38,230			39,008
Turnout				39,422	79.67[200]	+1.58
	ACThold		Majority	5,519	14.44	+3.16

2020 general election: Epsom[201]
Notes:		Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. AY orN denotes status of anyincumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party		Candidate		Votes	%	±%	Party votes	%	±%
	ACT	YDavid Seymour		19,500	46.97	+3.80	4,355	10.36	+8.58
	Labour	Camilla Belich		10,276	24.75	+6.26	15,078	35.87	+11.32
	National	Paul Goldsmith		6,397	15.41	−13.32	15,668	37.27	−21.37
	Green	Kyle MacDonald		3,101	7.47	+0.19	4,596	10.93	+2.56
	Opportunities	Adriana Christie		889	2.14	—	822	1.95	-0.72
	TEA	Noel Jiang		337	0.81	—	112	0.26	—
	New Conservative	Norman Sutton		231	0.79	+0.19	211	0.50	+0.30
	Advance NZ	Faith-Joy Aaron		166	0.39	—	147	0.34	—
	Sustainable NZ	Shannon Withers		72	0.17	—	30	0.07	—
	Outdoors	Maia Prochazka		31	0.07	—	7	0.01	−0.19
	Not A Party	Finn Harris		24	0.05	—
	NZ First						609	1.44	−1.71
	Māori Party						108	0.25	−0.07
	Legalise Cannabis						38	0.08	−0.02
	ONE						27	0.06	—
	Social Credit						8	0.01	—
	Vision NZ						8	0.01	—
	Heartland						6	0.01	—
Informal votes				484			203
Total valid votes				41,508			42,031
Turnout				42,311	82.84[202]	+3.17
	ACThold		Majority	9,224	22.22	+7.78

2023 general election: Epsom[203]
Notes:		Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. AY orN denotes status of anyincumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party		Candidate		Votes	%	±%	Party votes	%	±%
	ACT	YDavid Seymour		17,826	44.43	-2.54	5,041	12.40	+2.04
	National	Paul Goldsmith		9,684	24.14	+8.73	20,948	51.54	+14.27
	Labour	Camilla Belich		6,189	15.42	-9.33	5,945	14.62	-21.25
	Green	Lawrence Xu-Nan		3,537	8.81	+1.34	5,507	13.55	+2.62
	Opportunities	Nina Su		1,803	4.49	+2.35	1,307	3.21	+1.26
	NZ First	Tanya Unkovich		573	1.42	—	1,059	2.60	+1.16
	NZ Loyal	Anna Rotheray		164	0.40	—	123	0.30	—
	Te Pāti Māori						299	0.73	+0.48
	NewZeal						76	0.18	−+0.12
	Legalise Cannabis						66	0.16	+0.08
	Freedoms NZ						34	0.08	—
	New Conservatives						28	0.06	-0.44
	Women's Rights						26	0.06	—
	DemocracyNZ						16	0.03	—
	New Nation						5	0.01	—
	Leighton Baker Party						2	0.00	—
Informal votes				339			109
Total valid votes				40,115			40,637
	ACThold		Majority	8,142	20.29	-1.93

• Profile atNew Zealand Parliament
• Releases and speeches at Beehive.govt.nz
• seymour4epsom.co.nzArchived 17 August 2014 at theWayback Machine, official campaign website
• www.lifechoice.org.nzArchived 19 October 2015 at theWayback Machine, official website promoting his assisted dying bill

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