On November 7, 2026, New Zealand held its highly anticipated parliamentary elections, and preliminary counting results were released on the same evening by the Electoral Commission. The data indicates that the ruling coalition led by the National Party is likely to secure enough seats to continue in governance.
As of election night, the counting of ordinary votes is nearly complete. The early figures from the Electoral Commission reveal a tight race between the Labour Party and the National Party, with respective party vote percentages standing at 29.31% and 29.25%. The Green Party has garnered 13.30%, followed by the ACT Party at 10.93%, and the New Zealand First Party, which achieved 9.77%. The Opportunities Party has managed to cross the crucial 5% threshold with 5.97% of the vote.
Among the 130 parliamentary seats that have been generated, the National Party is projected to win around 42 seats due to substantial leads in various electorates. This would make it the political party with the most seats in Parliament. The Labour Party, the primary opposition, is expected to attain around 36 seats. Currently, when aggregating the seats of the National Party, ACT, and the New Zealand First Party, they have a combined lead, although formal coalition agreements between the three parties have yet to be established. Negotiations for the formation of a government will await the official results.
The Electoral Commission has noted that there are still approximately 600,000 to 700,000 special votes yet to be counted. Historical data suggests that these special votes can significantly influence the final distribution of seats. Some electorates are proving to be exceedingly competitive.
On election night, National Party leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon remarked that the National Party has emerged as the largest party in Parliament and has a pathway to form the next government. However, he added that the results are “too close to call.” He emphasized that until the official results are released on November 27, the government will function in a caretaker capacity.
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters have also urged caution from all parties, advising against premature interpretations of the results.
The Electoral Commission is slated to release the official results, including the special votes, on November 27. Until then, all calculations regarding the parliamentary seats remain preliminary.