James Christmas

James Christmas
MP
Christmas in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for ACT party list
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 November 2026
Personal details
Born1985 (age 40–41)
New Zealand
PartyACT New Zealand
Other political
affiliations
National
SpouseJames Carpinter
EducationUniversity of Canterbury
Victoria University of Wellington
ProfessionBarrister

James Nicholas Christmas (born 1985) is a New Zealand lawyer and politician, serving as an ACT New Zealand list MP since the 2026 general election. Christmas previously stood for the National Party at the 2023 general election and worked as an advisor to senior National ministers.

Early life and career

Christmas was born in 1985. He attended Burnside High School, the University of Canterbury, and the Victoria University of Wellington. Christmas graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Arts. He was admitted to the bar in 2012.

Christmas introduced himself to newly elected National MP Chris Finlayson at a classical concert in 2005. Six years later, after graduating from university, he went on to work in Finlayson's ministerial office, advising on his Treaty negotiations and security and intelligence portfolios. He then joined Prime Minister John Key's office in 2016 shortly before Key's resignation, and continued working for Key's successor Bill English.

In 2019, Christmas became a barrister sole and joined Britomart Chambers four years later.

Christmas released a book about Treaty settlements co-authored with Finlayson in 2021, called He Kupu Taurangi : Treaty settlements and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2026–present 55th List 7 ACT

Christmas was selected by the National Party to be a list-only candidate in the 2023 election. He was 28th on National's party list and was understood to be a favourite to become Attorney-General. He "narrowly" missed getting into parliament.

In April 2026, Christmas was selected by ACT New Zealand as their candidate for the Tāmaki electorate in the 2026 election, replacing deputy leader Brooke van Velden. He was placed 7th on ACT's party list.

Following the election on 7 November 2026 preliminary results showed that Christmas had come third in the Tāmaki electorate, behind National's Mahesh Muralidhar and Labour's Max Harris, but had comfortably won a list seat, as ACT was entitled to 13 seats.

Personal life

Christmas is married to James Carpinter. He affiliates to Ngāi Tahu. Christmas plays the French horn, tuba, and piano.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Young, Audrey (2 August 2023). "Election 2023: Meet James Christmas – potential Attorney-General". The New Zealand Herald.
  2. 1 2 3 "National Party Announce Openly Gay List MP Candidate". YourEx. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Waiwiri-Smith, Lyric (21 April 2026). "Who is James Christmas, the National rising star turned Act saviour?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  4. ↑ "Catalogue record: He Kupu Taurangi : Treaty settlements and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand / Christopher Finlayson and James Christmas". National Library of New Zealand.
  5. ↑ Young, Audrey (2 August 2023). "Election 2023: Meet James Christmas – potential Attorney-General". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
  6. ↑ "National's former Attorney-General prospect to contest Tāmaki for Act". The New Zealand Herald. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 7 November 2026.(subscription required)
  7. ↑ Ensor, Jamie (13 September 2026). "Election 2026: Act Party releases its list, Paul Henry ranking". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2026.(subscription required)
  8. ↑ "2026 General Election – Preliminary Count: Successful Candidates". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 November 2026.
  9. ↑ "2026 General Election – Tāmaki - Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 November 2026.
  10. ↑ Palmer, Russell (9 November 2026). "Who are the 35 new MPs headed to Wellington?". RNZ. Retrieved 10 November 2026.