Election night is over, but NZ faces a long wait to find out the winners | Stuff.co.nz Nov 14, 2026

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Chris Hipkins perhaps summed it up best, saying, New Zealanders have spoken, but it will take us a little bit longer to figure out exactly what they've said.

With 100 percent of the ordinary votes counted, the results are too close to call, and it'll be another three weeks until we know the final numbers, with around 400,000 special votes still to count.

Labour and National's combined vote fell below 60 percent - the lowest it's ever been. It's also the first time the minor parties have collectively won more than 40 percent of the vote.

And Opportunity made history, becoming the first new party to enter Parliament in the MMP era without a sitting MP, getting 6 percent of the vote on their fourth attempt.

National also made history - but not in ways it will want to remember - becoming the first major party to win no list seats under MMP, meaning their number two - Nicola Willis - won't be returning to Parliament.

To add to the confusion, there will be 11 so-called overhang seats, meaning 131 MPs could be on their way to Wellington to sit in the biggest Parliament in the country's history.

On the current results, the National-led coalition could retain power by a whisker, but nothing's set in stone. Political Correspondent Zane Small begins our coverage.


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Timecodes:

00:00 - 01:47: Election results
01:47 - 05:50: Election Night recap
05:50 - 09:21: Opportunity gets into Parliament
09:21 - 12:51: Minor parties with mega power
12:51 - 13:33: The electorates still on a knife's edge
13:33 - 16:23: The newbies and leavers
16:23 - 20:19: Jenna Lynch analysis


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