AUCKLAND — The Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party, also known as the Free Palestine Party, is seeking registration to participate in the November 2026 New Zealand general elections. Party president Paul Hopkinson announced the party's formation on May 11.
The party is reapplying for nearly 600 members to meet electoral commission requirements. This comes after an error occurred on the digital registration forms. The New Zealand electoral commission recommends that political parties submit registration paperwork by June 11 to allow for processing time before the August 6 deadline.
The party's platform includes a call for the dismantling of the Zionist structure of the Israeli state. It also proposes establishing a bi-national, secular, and democratic state in Palestine, with equal citizenship for all residents. The platform seeks a right of return for Palestinians and an end to military occupation in the Levant. It also calls for the prosecution of Israeli officials for alleged war crimes and genocide, and expresses unconditional solidarity with Palestinian resistance movements.
Additional platform points include demands that New Zealand withdraw from all security alliances with the United States. The party also demands that New Zealand distance itself from the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the party's website, its goals are to contest parliamentary elections, build a democratic movement for justice internationally, and pressure the New Zealand government to uphold international law obligations regarding Palestine.
Juliet Moses, a spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council, stated, "The issue for the Jewish community is that if the party were to successfully register, it would receive taxpayer funding to advance an agenda that essentially demanded an end to Israel." The Israel Institute of New Zealand co-director, David Cumin, added, "It was wonderful to live in a democracy like Israel and New Zealand, where anyone could run for office, but it was disappointing that 500 people support a party with the singular policy of destroying the Jewish state." Cumin stated that Hopkinson has advocated on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. During an April speech, Hopkinson identified himself as the national spokesperson for the campaign in Aotearoa.