New Zealand's election is too close to call

New Zealand's general election ended Saturday with no clear winner. In preliminary counts, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National Party and Chris Hipkins' Labour Party were each at about 29 percent of the party vote, and seat projections for the governing National–ACT–NZ First bloc and the left-leaning opposition kept shifting through the night. The new Opportunity party, led by Qiulae Wong, was just over the 5 percent threshold and on track to enter Parliament for the first time, which could make it the party holding the balance of power. The official count starts Sunday, and the Electoral Commission aims to release official results, including overseas special votes, by November 27.

📌 Follow this story: 2026 midterm elections: the story so far →

The day's 5 biggest stories, verified, free by email

▶ Watch the 90-second briefing (story 2 of 5) 🔔 Get 6 AM & 5 PM alerts

Why it matters

New Zealand may not know its next government for weeks, because overseas and other special votes are still to be counted. A minor party that has never been in Parliament may decide which bloc can govern.

What to watch

The official count begins Sunday, and the Electoral Commission aims to release official results by November 27.

How each side sees it

Luxon's sidePrime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with the Opportunity party.

Hipkins' sideLabour leader Chris Hipkins has said he is open to working with Opportunity.

Opportunity saysThe party says it will negotiate with either bloc, starting with whichever major party wins the most votes.

Sources

Checked against 3 established news sources:

Also in this edition

Published Saturday, November 7, 2026. Spot an error? Email [email protected]. See our corrections log and standards.