Parliament Has Finished and the Election Race Is On

New Zealand's 54th Parliament has finished and MPs have left the Beehive to campaign for the election on 7 November.

The last sitting day was Wednesday, 23 September 2026, according to a Reuters filing from that day. Parliament's own election timeline had listed 24 September as the expected last day, which Parliament describes as the last day Parliament sits. The New Zealand Herald reported on 24 September that Parliament was over and the election season had started. RNZ reported on 26 September that politicians had left Parliament for the campaign.

RNZ asked the parties what to expect over the next six weeks for its Focus on Politics programme. The interviews were published as audio called "A pre-campaign catchup as parties flee Parliament" on 25 September, and also shared as a Politics NZ podcast episode with the same title.

Simeon Brown runs National's campaign. Kieran McAnulty runs Labour's campaign. Think of them as team managers for the election.

Brown pointed to National's early work. That was a steady social media campaign about tax, and 20 town hall meetings with voters held by Christopher Luxon earlier this year. Brown said National will announce more policies during the campaign. Labour is talking about tax too, but in a different way. The party says it hopes to convince voters it is time for a capital gains tax, a tax on the profit when you sell something like an investment house.

The Electoral Commission lists the 2026 General Election for Saturday 7 November 2026. People overseas can vote from 21 October. On election day, voting places are open from 9.00am to 7.00pm. No campaigning is allowed on election day. In New Zealand, the Prime Minister announces the date of a general election.

The broader context here is both big parties are starting with tax, but from opposite sides. National has talked about lower tax and says more policy is coming. Labour must persuade voters to back a new tax, which is harder work and needs a clear, repeated message. The formal process now gives way to leaders' tours, policy announcements and debates. Things to watch are when National shares its next policies, whether Labour can keep the capital gains tax debate on its own terms, and what smaller parties do while the two big campaigns focus on each other.