New Zealand Election 2026: What you need to know
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Julianna Khan
New Zealanders will head to the polls on 7 November to elect a new government.
The rising cost of living, unemployment and healthcare are among the main concerns of voters, who will choose members of parliament.
There is no clear frontrunner, based on pre-election polls. The incumbent centre-right prime minister, Christopher Luxon, won the last election in 2023 with a promise to "build the economy".
Here is everything you need to know about New Zealand's 2026 general election.
How does the voting system work?
New Zealand holds a general election every three years and uses a Mixed-Member Proportional system or MMP.
Each voter makes two choices - the representative of their constituency in parliament and a political party.
The candidate in a constituency with the most votes wins and becomes an MP.
Political parties on the other hand must win at least 5% of the total party votes to secure a seat in parliament. The seats are also allocated proportionately - if a party wins 40% of the total party votes, it will get 40% of the seats alloted for parties.
The New Zealand parliament typically has 120 seats - 71 are allocated to constituencies and the remaining 49 are distributed to parties proportionately.
New Zealand elections rarely result in an outright majority and parties forge coalitions to form a government.
New Zealand adopted the MMP in 1996 to address concerns that small parties were being left out of the vote.
Who are the candidates?
The current government is led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, whose centre-right National party came to power following thecame to power in 2023. It governs in coalition with the ACT and New Zealand First parties.
His party emphasised economic management, restoring a budget surplus, and expanding KiwiSaver, New Zealand's retirement savings scheme.
The main opposition is the centre-left Labour party, led by former prime minister Chris Hipkins.
Labour has focused on reducing living costs, improving healthcare and transport, and investing in housing, jobs and public services.
National's coalition partners also have their own priorities. ACT, led by David Seymour, has advocated stricter immigration policies, while New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters, has proposed changes to voting eligibility, with the party proposing that voting in New Zealand should be restricted to citizens only.
The Green Party, co-led by Chlöe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson, is another player. It has campaigned on issues including wealth taxes, renewable energy and public services.
Te Pāti Māori, which represents Māori interests, is also competing for parliamentary seats, with housing, healthcare, education and constitutional reform among its priorities.
What are the main issues?
Cost of living is a major concern for New Zealanders.
A September 2026 Ipsos survey found that 63% of respondents identified inflation and the cost of living as one of the country's most important issues. Healthcare and hospitals came second at 44%, followed by the economy at 34%.
Unemployment is also a growing concern, with 21% of respondents identifying it as a major issue in the same survey. It overtook housing to become New Zealand's fourth most important issue.
When will the results be known?
Polling places open from 09:00 local time on 7 November (20:00 GMT 6 November). Voting ends at 19:00. Advance voting started on 26 October while overseas voting began earlier on 21 October.
Preliminary results will be released progressively from 19:00 on election night through New Zealand's official election results website. These initial results will not be the official final count.
The Electoral Commission is scheduled to declare official results on 27 November, after the counting and verification process has been completed.
A clear result on election night could provide an early indication of which parties are best placed to form a government. However, a tight race could delay negotiations if no party wins an outright majority.
New Zealanders may therefore have to wait beyond election night to find out which parties will form the next government and who will lead the country for the next three years.
