Halloween plans? Here's some costume inspiration from the 2026 election
Pick your fighter.
New taxes? Scary!
With New Zealanders haunted by the ghosts of elections past and biting their nails over what’s coming around the corner, Halloween comes at an apt time this year. In the name of helpful service journalism, we’ve collected a cohort of election-themed costume ideas for you. Want to dress up as Christopher Luxon? Or one of those crucial overseas voters? How about a fiscal hole? Read on!
Christopher Luxon
Dust off your Christopher Luxon cosplay because there’s an election-season update. The National Party leader surprised the country with the admission that a box of Frujus was part of his weekly shop (in this economy?!). Even more shocking was the revelation that his favourite flavour is pineapple, which could be read as a sign of questionable judgment and/or unbridled optimism.
This costume is fairly easy, but for an authentic representation getting the tie right is critical; it must be very wide, very thick and very blue. The closest approximation I could find was this jacquard silk number with an 8.5cm blade from Working Style, $149. Wear it with a bald cap from BodyFX, $30, herringbone shirt from Farmers, $79.99, navy suit from Working Style, $999 (on sale) and the requisite Fruju, $3.30, from Woolworths.
Sure, tell me more about London’s metro system and the Tesco meal deal.
UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa, £340, Healthcare surcharge, £776, and £2,530 in savings.
Chris Hipkins
The mood of this year's campaign can be summed up in an image of a haunted Chris Hipkins clutching his recently finished copy of The Road, staring into the distance as he imagines a future for our great island nation. (What that actually is, few can say.)
Wear a Softshell jacket from Galaxy Apparel, $85, grab a copy of The Road from Lamplight Books, $40, and straighten your boyish Barkers tie, $69.99.
A fiscal hole
There are so many of them but the premise is all the same: there’s money missing, allegedly, and someone can’t do maths properly.
Pick up a Casio desktop calculator, $86, a sheet of Plasti-Flute, $12.99, and whiteboard marker, $1.99, (for corrections) from Warehouse Stationery. Oh and don’t forget this, POA, for finger pointing.
Winston Peters and Taine Randell
This couples costume combines the mana of two professionally competitive men, united in their apparently shared prowess on the rugby field and desire to “put New Zealanders first”. It’s the premise of a head turning ad from New Zealand First released this month. In a rare departure from his traditionally impeccable suiting, party leader Winston Peters wore a [redacted]-esque jersey. You’ll need one too.
Fern Brand jersey from Rebel Sport, $45, grey wig from Amazon, $19.85, ball from The Warehouse, $19.99. The Taine to your Winston will need this AS Colour “chad” polo, $50, and a Rodd & Gunn quarter-zip, $229. (Savvy play from Taine; this bipartisan piece of knitwear is approved by politicians like Barack Obama, who wore New Zealand brand Untouched World, and Rishi Sunak.) New Zealand flag pin, $10, from the National Army Museum.
Rōpata, The Greens’ tuatara
In a shocking failure of the free market, no one appears to sell an accurate tuatara costume. Lizard options are also in short supply, so a larger, retired reptile will have to suffice.
Dinosaur suit from costumeworld.co.nz, $183.99, Hallensteins fedora, $29.99.
Easy. Just wear a red v-neck and be extremely expressive in the back of everyone's photos.
Cotton On top, $29.
David Seymour
Capture the energy of Act leader David Seymour clocking in at the grocery store with a blend of faithful mimicry and some creative license.
Polo Ralph Lauren shirt from Ballantynes, $309, Four Square cap, fuchsia tie from RJB, $59 and a hot (fiscally conservative) mince and cheese pie.
An 18-year-old
Grab your favourite hoodie from the washing basket, charge your vape and head to the party armed with a fresh easy vote card. Or just don’t turn up. That’s accurate too.
Hallensteins hoodie, $69.99, Hyoketsu from Tokyo Liquour, $3.50, and easy vote card, free if you enrol.
Hoarding volunteers
They move through the night with the pressure and haste of a horror movie final girl, armed to the teeth with wood, nails and a 12am deadline. When they’re done, no election hoardings remain standing.
High-vis vest from Bunnings, $9.50, Eveready torch from Mitre 10, $29.98, Makita drill driver from Bunnings, $244, Monster energy drink from Woolworths, $3.99, alarm clock from The Warehouse, $16.99
Jack Tame and Lil Jon
Another couple’s costume. Or one for a throuple if someone’s keen to be the wall. Hell, throw in Chris and Chris so the whole polycule has a role to play. Jack Tame and Lil Jon were unexpectedly intertwined by the TVNZ leaders debate – luckily both have clearly defined looks that are fairly easy to DIY. For Tame, you’ll need the slimmest suit you can squeeze into, a flawless coiffure and that mischievous smirk. For Jon it’s all in the accessories; grill, eyewear, cap and a chain.
Suit, from $2,495, shirt, $345, and tie, $295 from Crane Brothers, Baxter of California pocket comb, $37, from Mancave. Lil Jon will need a checked shirt, $250, from Infinite/Definite, sunglasses, $24.99, from Glassons, 9ct gold grillz, $1,699, from The Tooth Fairy, a goblet, $6.30 plus GST, to hire from First Scene, and an Atlanta Braves cap, $64.99, from Redrat.co.nz – or, for the bold, a white fedora, $11.20, from Spotlight.
A grocery bill
Horrifying.
Skims dress, $156.
An overhang (strap a seat to your back)
Depending how the electorate votes shake out, some parties might get an extra seat… or more! That’s called an overhang. That situation could, quite literally, mean more chairs are required in parliament. But since it’s doubtful they’ll do a rush order on green leather upholstery, let's explore some other options for this ultra-niche halloween costume.
Attach any of the following to your back with some rope, $8.95, from Bunnings: stackable plastic chair from Taurus Outdoor, POA, Martino Gamper Arnold Circus Stool from Thread Design, $295, multi-functional Ikea child’s chair, $49.99, camping chair from Mitre 10, $10.98.
Carlos Cheung
Will people think you’re Woody? Probably. Will they know you’re really National’s Mt Roskill candidate doing a bit for Instagram? Only if you explain it and are willing to be the most boring “um, actually” person at the party.
You can literally just buy this whole outfit at Spotlight, $76. Nerf gun from The Warehouse, $39.99.
Ellie Commission
An impersonation of an impersonation is the kind of hollow, meta costume that feels accurate for this election cycle, itself an ouroboros of reruns and deja vu. Thankfully Ellie Commission makes the most of an orange morph suit (with more pizzazz than Orange Guy’s cousin).
Morph suit from costumebox.com.au, from $73, Bonds crop top from The Warehouse, $17.99, Glassons shorts, $39.99, Pleaser boots, $205, Look Sharp sunglasses, $2, and gloves, $4, wig from Discount Party Supplies, $18.24. Don’t forget sausages, $10, and bread, $2.12, and Wattie’s tomato sauce, $5.79, from Woolworths, and those all-important enrolment forms.
New taxes
Scary!!!
Grim reaper costume, $22.50, fabric paint, $15, and brush, $4, from Spotlight.
Nicola Willis
She’s fixing the basics and balancing the books. For authenticity, book an appointment at Rodney Wayne if you have time.
Swanndri jacket, $339.99, Rhino bench scale, $139, and Ryobi drill starter kit, $99.98, from Bunnings.
Ballot box
Prepare for a night of penetrating opinions.
Carton, $5.96, brush, $6.20, and British Paints sample pot, $12.50, from Bunnings, Sellotape, $7.99, and Fiskars cutting knife, $10, from Warehouse Stationary.
Train
Dig out last year’s CRL costume because this one’s a crowd pleaser – everyone loves them now! The Greens and Labour both want further fare caps for public transport, Opportunity reckons it should be free, and New Zealand First wants to reinstate commuter rail to Canterbury. Couples costume? No worries. One of you can be a very chuffed Simeon Brown.
Box, $10.90 from Kennards, silver duct tape, $14.88 from Bunnings.
Emma Gleason
Emma Gleason is a staff writer at The Spinoff and an award-winning fashion journalist. But it’s not just clothes that interest her, you’ll find her exploring tasty cheese, influenza outbreaks and more important things right here. She has experience with some of the country’s leading media outlets as well as the toaster in our kitchen.
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