The ACT Party has named Waikato businessman Himanshu “Ash” Parmar as its candidate for Waikato for the 2026 general election, selecting a first-generation Indian-New Zealander whose campaign is expected to focus on small business, public safety, economic growth and local representation.

Himanshu arrived in New Zealand from Delhi as a teenager nearly 25 years ago. Since then, he has built his life in the Waikato, where he and his wife have raised their family, built businesses, employed local people and become actively involved in the community.

He is the founder of Eight PM, a Waikato-based spirits retailer, and a former director of Super Liquor Holdings. He is also a regular columnist with Awaaz.

Himanshu say his journey from teenage migrant to a parliamentary candidate reflects the opportunities New Zealand can provide to those willing to work hard.

“Waikato gave my family opportunities beyond anything we could have imagined,” he says.

“We have built businesses here, raised our children here and made lifelong friendships here. I want to spend the coming months listening to people across the electorate and earning their support.”

Through business ownership and community involvement over two decades Himanshu has developed strong relationships throughout the region, including Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Cambridge, Hamilton and many of the rural communities that form the backbone of the Waikato economy.

For ACT, his selection brings a candidate whose business background aligns closely with the party’s focus on enterprise, economic growth and reducing barriers for those creating jobs and investment.

Himanshu is perhaps best known publicly for his advocacy on law-and-order issues, particularly retail crime.

After experiencing years of ram raids, theft, shoplifting and intimidation while operating retail businesses, he became one of New Zealand’s most prominent advocates for stronger action against retail offending.

“There was a time when I was in an activist mode. I was talking about every robbery around, trying to highlight the issue of retail crime,” he says.

That advocacy extended beyond party politics when he was appointed to the government’s Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, which was established to provide ministers with independent advice on tackling retail offending and improving community safety.

He has since worked alongside government agencies, police and retailers on initiatives aimed at improving public safety and supporting victims of crime.

Beyond work and politics, Himanshu is an endurance athlete. 

Earlier this year, he completed the Tarawera 102-km Ultramarathon, a personal achievement he says reflects the values of discipline, persistence and resilience that have shaped both his business and community work.

ACT's growing list of Indian-origin candidates

Himanshu's candidacy adds another Indian-origin name to ACT’s growing candidate slate for the 2026 election. With his selection in Waikato, ACT now has at least four Kiwi-Indian candidates.

They include sitting list MP Parmjeet Parmar from Pakuranga, Manu Singh in Mangere and Malkiat Singh in Papakura.

For ACT’s Kiwi-Indian candidates, the party list is likely to matter more than the electorate race itself.

In the 2023 election, National won both the candidate and the party vote in Waikato by a landslide.

Himanshu's realistic route to Parliament would almost certainly be through ACT’s list rather than by winning the electorate outright. That makes his eventual list ranking a key detail to watch.

ACT won 8.64 per cent of the party vote in 2023, returning 11 MPs. Recent polls have generally placed ACT in the mid-to-high single digits, which would roughly land a caucus of about seven to 12 MPs.

That means a high enough list placement could make Himanshu a realistic parliamentary prospect. In 2023, he was ranked 13 on the party list.

His candidacy gives ACT a Waikato candidate whose story reflects many of the themes central to the party’s message: aspiration, enterprise, personal responsibility and the belief that opportunity should be available to anyone prepared to work for it.