2026 New Zealand general election
The gist
New Zealand's election left National on 30.81% and Labour on 29.99%, with no party able to govern alone.
Final results on Nov. 27, after special votes, will decide the next government.
How it unfolded
- Jan 21, 2026Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the general election would be held on 7 November.
- Oct 21, 2026Overseas voting began.
- Oct 26, 2026Advance voting started, with Luxon campaigning in his Botany electorate in Auckland.
Key terms
- mixed-member proportional (MMP) system
- An electoral system combining local winner-take-all races with party lists to achieve overall proportional representation.
- electorate
- A geographical area whose voters elect a representative to a legislature.
Source: Wikipedia