Tamaki targets NZ First candidate Taine Randell over fishing industry ties

Summarised by Centrist

Former All Black captain Taine Randell is set to stand for New Zealand First in the Hawke’s Bay seat of Tukituki, giving Winston Peters’ party a high-profile local candidate in an electorate currently held by National’s Catherine Wedd.

Randell, a former Lindisfarne student, captained the All Blacks in 22 of his 51 tests and remains one of Hawke’s Bay’s better-known sporting figures. But the selection has already drawn political fire from Brian Tamaki.

🐟 SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY…AND IT’S NOT JUST THE CRAYFISH

So… NZ First are reported to be rolling out their latest candidate in the Hawkes Bay: Former All Blacks captain Taine Randell 👀

At first glance…solid Kiwi. Good bloke. Sounds impressive.

But then you dig a little… pic.twitter.com/U6LRI2DO1a

— Brian Tamaki (@BrianTamakiNZ) April 14, 2026

Tamaki used a social media post to question Randell’s background in the seafood sector and suggest the move should be looked at more closely. “Something smells fishy,” Tamaki wrote, pointing to what he described as Randell’s “deep connections into the fishing industry” and linking those claims to Shane Jones’ role in fisheries policy. 

Tamaki said this was not simply “a former All Black enters politics”, but a progression “from rugby captain” to “Big Fishing boardrooms” to “NZ First candidate”.

Tamaki said it was “fair to ask questions” and urged followers to “follow the money” and “connect the dots”, linking Randell’s industry ties to the recent controversy around Shane Jones’ fisheries reforms, including a proposal Jones was forced to retreat from after uproar over commercial fishing rules.

Tukituki, which includes Hastings, Havelock North and parts of Central Hawke’s Bay, was won comfortably by Wedd in 2023, when she defeated Labour’s Anna Lorck by about 10,000 votes. Labour has yet to confirm its candidate for the next election.

🚩 Taine Randell : “Mass immigration is changing our kiwi culture”

“Randell on why he joined NZFirst said he’d had concerns about the “mass immigration” he’d witnessed since returning to New Zealand, claiming it had a “huge effect on our culture” and pointing to the growing… pic.twitter.com/qV8GshhAGd

— Holyhekatuiteka (@2ETEKA) April 15, 2026

Editor’s note: Tamaki’s claims should be treated as Tamaki’s political attack, not as established facts. He did not provide evidence of wrongdoing by Randell. Still, his intervention shows how quickly NZ First’s candidate choices can become part of a wider argument over industry influence, lobbying and perceived conflicts around fisheries policy.

Read more over at X and The NZ Herald

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