New Zealand election on 7 November pits Luxon against Hipkins

Who is running

Christopher Luxon, the prime minister, leads the centre-right National Party. It launched its campaign on 27 September with ten commitments, among them economic growth, no new taxes and longer paid parental leave.

Chris Hipkins, a former prime minister, leads the centre-left Labour Party, the main opposition party. Labour proposes a capital gains tax on property sales to subsidise visits to the doctor.

National governs with two smaller parties: ACT New Zealand, a classical liberal party led by David Seymour, and New Zealand First, a nationalist party led by Winston Peters. Also in opposition are the left-wing Green Party, led by Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick, and Te Pāti Māori, a Māori rights party led by Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi.

How the vote works

Each voter has two votes: one for a party and one for a local candidate. The party vote decides each party's share of the 120 seats. A party needs 5% of the party vote, or one local seat, to enter Parliament. The system is called mixed-member proportional, or MMP.

Local districts, called electorates, fill 71 seats, each won by the candidate with the most votes. Party lists fill the other 49. Extra seats are added if a party wins more electorates than its party vote entitles it to.

Voters must be enrolled by 25 October. Unlike in earlier elections, they cannot enrol on voting day. Overseas voting starts on 21 October and advance voting on 26 October. Polling places open from 9am to 7pm local time on 7 November.

How the race got here

After the last election, on 14 October 2023, National formed a coalition government with ACT and New Zealand First. Luxon announced the date of this election on 21 January 2026.

National and Labour both launched their campaigns in Auckland on 27 September. Parliament was dissolved on 1 October. On 4 October Governor-General Cindy Kiro signed the writ, the formal order to hold the election. Candidate nominations close at noon on 8 October.

The parties are campaigning on the cost of living, the economy and public services. Luxon has ruled out working with the Opportunity Party, a centrist party with no seats in Parliament. Peters has ruled out working with Labour.

What happens next

Preliminary results are published progressively from 7pm local time on 7 November. The Electoral Commission declares the official results on 27 November.

A party or group of parties with a majority of seats forms the government. Only once since 1996 has one party won a majority alone, so parties usually negotiate a coalition or a support agreement. After the 2023 election, Luxon was sworn in as prime minister on 27 November 2023.