Summarised by Centrist
An ACT candidate has withdrawn from a new Wellington electorate race after failing to disclose previous membership of a Chinese political group linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
Lyra Yan Zhang resigned as ACT’s Kenepuru candidate after Local Democracy Reporting sent questions to the party about her background.
“All of our candidates are asked to disclose previous political party memberships,” ACT said. “Ms Zhang did not disclose her previous connections, and [on Monday] she decided not to continue with her candidacy.”
Online Chinese publications reportedly show Zhang was a member of the China Zhi Gong Party and sat on party committees in Hunan province.
The Zhi Gong Party is one of eight minor parties formally recognised within China’s one-party political system.
Researchers describe it as a united front organisation controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, used to influence overseas Chinese communities and promote Beijing’s foreign policy goals.
Geoff Wade, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told The Post that “membership of the party demonstrates a close affiliation with the CCP.”
Zhang previously told The Post she was a Zhi Gong Party member from 2017 to 2020, but said she had resigned during Covid-19 and did not consider it a current membership for declaration purposes.
She also ran unsuccessfully for Porirua City Council in 2025, finishing 11th out of 15 candidates in the Onepoto General Ward.
ACT says it conducts “extensive vetting” of candidates, including background, criminal record, credit and social media checks, alongside disclosure questions about previous political affiliations.
The resignation comes as New Zealand intelligence agencies warn China is the “most active” state conducting foreign interference in New Zealand.
