Hipkins says National manipulated the electoral system

Chris Hipkins has said National is only in a position to form a government because it "manipulated the electoral system", according to RNZ.

Hipkins said National lost the party vote after only one term in government. He said the party had manipulated the system through what he called the overhang strategy.

He also described a campaign scene. Hipkins said he saw Chris Bishop, standing in the electorate next to his own, beside Winston Peters and asking New Zealand First voters to vote National on their electorate vote.

Hipkins said Christopher Luxon had encouraged voters to "party vote National", but that National candidates on the ground were not doing that.

Voters in New Zealand cast two ballots under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) system: one for a local electorate candidate and one for a party. The party vote decides how many seats each party holds in Parliament, while electorate seats are won by individual candidates.