Trans Activist Follows History-Maker into NZ Election

A transgender activist is stepping into the political arena where New Zealand made history a generation ago, proving that some places never stop moving forward.

Lauren Craig has announced her candidacy for parliament in Wairarapa, the rural district that stunned the world in 1995 by electing Georgina Beyer as mayor. Beyer became the world's first openly transgender mayor, then went on to become the world's first openly transgender member of parliament in 1999.

Craig sees her 2026 campaign as honoring that incredible legacy. "When you look at everything Georgina Beyer went through, it exemplifies something really special about the region," she said.

The parallel stories are striking. Beyer hadn't lived in Wairarapa long before voters chose her to lead their town. Now Craig, also a transgender woman, is following the same path decades later.

"She wasn't just the first openly trans person elected in the country, she was the first openly trans person elected anywhere in the world," Craig said. "That is an incredible legacy for an electorate to leave."

Craig's campaign for the Green Party will focus on climate resilience, particularly after recent severe storms damaged infrastructure across the region. She's also championing expanded regional rail service and better water management for the agricultural community.

She's already been connecting with locals at community events, from the Featherston Pride Festival to the Wairarapa Film Festival screening of "Georgie Girl," a documentary about Beyer's life. "That was, of course, phenomenal," she said.

The Ripple Effect

Beyer's 1995 victory sent shockwaves around the world, showing that rural communities could lead on inclusion rather than follow. Now, 31 years later, Craig's candidacy barely raises eyebrows in the same district, a sign of how far acceptance has come.

Former Wellington Mayor and retiring Green Party MP Celia Wade-Brown endorsed Craig's run. "She is knowledgeable and empathetic," Wade-Brown said, calling it exciting to see someone standing in Beyer's footsteps again.

Craig will face incumbent National MP Mike Butterick, Labour's Kieran McAnulty, and Opportunity Party's Matt Shepherd in the upcoming election. She's campaigning primarily to increase the Green Party vote across the region.

The candidate has fallen in love with Wairarapa during her visits, particularly the wine country around Martinborough and the coastal beauty of Castlepoint. "The wine is not so bad," she said with a laugh.

For Craig, the campaign is about showing that Wairarapa's groundbreaking spirit is alive and well. "It just shows there is something special about the place that the people are willing to see people as people, and judge them on their merits."