The New Zealand Labour Party has suffered its biggest drop of support in history as the country has voted in a centre-right coalition government led by National Party leader Christopher Luxon.
He will be supported by the ACT Party, a right-wing liberal party, and says he has already spoken twice with its leader David Seymour.
The result means Labour has plummeted from their unprecedented majority in 2020 to the biggest loss of party votes in its history. It is also their second worst ever final result, with things looking to settle at about 27%.
Speaking to media earlier today, Luxon said his role would be to lead a more unified country.
“I want to bring the country together, I want to make sure we are focused on actually delivering outcomes for New Zealanders.
“We are going to govern for all New Zealanders.”
However, with 61 seats in Parliament as of this morning, the two parties have the smallest possible margin to govern.
With special votes still being counted, which historically have pulled results to the left, Luxon could need NZ First to help push it over the line and secure a majority in government.
Although NZ First leader Winston Peters has already spoken of support, he has also hinted he would be “reigning in” some of the party’s more significant policies, almost certainly referring to the tax cut policies which have been torn apart by experts over the past few weeks. Historically NZ First has taken a centrist position with populist policies such as anti-immigration and “tough on crime” stances, and typically does well in rural areas.
“My job is to consult with my colleagues – we haven’t had a chance to talk to each other,” he told media this morning.
“When we’ve decided what we’re going to do, and what we’re doing it with, we’ll all let you know.”
New Zealand parliament is formed with the mixed member proportional representation (MMP) system, meaning each person gets a party vote and an electorate vote. In the electorates, National have won a vast majority and have flipped a number of seats, although the special votes still to come have historically favoured the left.
Meanwhile, Te Pati Māori, a typically left-leaning party advocating indigenous rights, look to have taken a majority of the Māori electorates. Māori electorates are seperate electorates for those only on the Maori role, meaning only Māori can vote and ensuring fair representation in parliament.
But it’s not quite over yet – an upcoming by-election must be held in the Port Waikato electorate on November 25th, following the death of ACT candidate Neil Christensen on the campaign trail.
