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New Zealand centre-right bloc leads by one seat

Published

Preliminary results give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First 67 seats in the 131-seat parliament. A majority needs 66, and almost 400,000 votes, about 14% of the total, are still uncounted.

Official results are due on 27 November. Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins will wait for them before formal coalition talks. Hipkins has not conceded, and he said on Monday that the parties must wait to see what the final count shows.

Hipkins is optimistic that the final count could favour the left. If it does, he said he would like to see a government in place by Christmas. Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at Westpac Bank in New Zealand, said the likely outcome is a centre-right government of some kind.

The Opportunity Party won 7 seats after it crossed the 5% threshold, and it enters parliament for the first time. Its leader, Qiulae Wong, said Hipkins and Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick had called her. She said no other leader had been in touch, including Luxon. Finance Minister Nicola Willis lost her seat.

Key facts

Who
Christopher Luxon (Prime Minister of New Zealand, National Party leader); Chris Hipkins (Labour leader); Qiulae Wong (Opportunity Party leader); Chloe Swarbrick (Green Party co-leader)
What
Preliminary results gave Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First 67 seats in the 131-seat parliament, one more than the 66 needed for a majority. Almost 400,000 votes, about 14% of the total, remain uncounted, and official results are due November 27; Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins will wait for them before formal coalition talks.
When
9 November 2026
Where
New Zealand, Wellington
Status
Reported

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