National leads Labour in New Zealand's early election count
Early results from New Zealand's general election on Saturday 7 November 2026 show the governing centre-right National Party in the lead with 30.81 percent of the vote, according to Al Jazeera. The opposition centre-left Labour Party is close behind.
Voting closed at 7 p.m. local time, which is 0600 GMT, on Saturday, Reuters reported. Preliminary results are being released in stages from 7 p.m. on the Electoral Commission's results site. Half of the general election results are expected by 10 p.m. on election night, and 95 percent by 11.30 p.m. The Commission expects to publish official results on Friday 27 November.
New Zealand's parliament has 120 seats. Voters cast two ballots: one for a candidate in their electorate, meaning their local constituency, and one for the political party they prefer. The party vote is the one that shapes the overall balance of parliament.
The campaign was fought between two leaders with long records in public life. Christopher Luxon has been prime minister since 2023 as leader of the National Party. He entered parliament in 2020 after winning the Auckland electorate of Botany, and before politics he was chief executive of Air New Zealand. Chris Hipkins leads Labour, having become its leader after Jacinda Ardern resigned in January 2023. He has held the Remutaka electorate since 2008.
Before the vote, polls showed no clear route to government for either a left-wing or a right-wing coalition, meaning a group of parties working together to command a majority. Smaller parties were gaining ground, including the centrist Opportunity party. A pre-election poll reported on 5 November put Labour on 30.7 percent and National on 26.4 percent, Reuters reported. Early voting was heavy. Nearly 1.67 million votes had been cast by Thursday.
Māori electorates form a separate thread. Seven of the 120 seats are reserved for Māori electorates. Voters of Māori descent can choose to be on the Māori roll or the general roll, and more than half of Māori voters are on the Māori roll, the Guardian's live coverage noted. Te Pāti Māori won six of the seven Māori seats at the last election.
In the latest polls for the Te Tai Tokerau seat, the Green candidate Hūhana Lyndon led, followed by Labour's Willow-Jean Prime and Te Pāti Māori's Aperahama Edwards. Te Pāti Māori remained ahead in most of the other Māori electorates. Labour candidates led in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga. Early results also showed Chris Bishop may hold his Hutt South electorate.
Final seat totals will depend on the counting that continues over the coming weeks, and the result of the party vote will determine how many seats each party receives.
