Official results for the 2023 General Election

Updates: Final election 2023 results released after special votes counted, ballots checked

Official results for the 2023 General Election

Nov 3, 2023 | Media release

The Electoral Commission has declared the official results for the 2023 General Election.

Party vote - main points

The National Party has two fewer seats, Te Pāti Māori has gained two, and the Green Party has gained one more.  

• The number of seats in Parliament on these results will be 122.
• The National Party has 48 seats compared with 50 on election night.
• Te Pāti Māori has 6 seats compared with 4 on election night.
• The Green Party has 15 seats compared with 14 on election night.
• There are no changes for the Labour Party which has 34 seats, ACT New Zealand which has 11 seats, and the New Zealand First Party which has 8 seats.
• There is an overhang of two seats because Te Pāti Māori won more electorate seats than it would otherwise have from its share of the party vote.
• One more seat will be added to Parliament after the Port Waikato by-election, taking the total to 123.

Electorate vote - main points

Four electorate results have changed since election night:

• Labour candidate Rachel Boyack has won Nelson with a majority of 29 votes over the National candidate Blair Cameron.
• Labour candidate Phil Twyford has won Te Atatū with a majority of 131 votes over the National candidate Angee Nicholas.
• Te Pāti Māori candidate Takutai Tarsh Kemp has won Tāmaki Makaurau with a majority of 4 votes over the Labour candidate Peeni Henare.  
• Te Pāti Māori candidate Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has won Te Tai Tokerau with a majority of 517 over the Labour candidate Kelvin Davis.

All other electorate candidates leading on election night have been confirmed as winning their seats.

Key statistics

• The total number of votes cast was 2,883,412. 
• The number of special votes was 603,257 - 20.9% of total votes (17% in 2020 & 2017).
• Turnout of people who were enrolled to vote was 78.2% (82.2% in 2020, 79.8% in 2017). 
• The final enrolment rate was 94.7% (94.1% in 2020, 92.4% in 2017).

Background

The official results for the General Election held on 14 October 2023 have been determined in accordance with the requirements of electoral legislation.

The scrutiny of the rolls has been completed and the master roll for each electorate has been prepared.

All votes counted on election night have been counted a second time, and special votes have been checked for eligibility before being counted. This has been done in the presence of Justices of the Peace and any scrutineers appointed by candidates.

Comprehensive audit checks have also been completed at the national level to ensure the results are accurate.

The results are subject to any applications for judicial recounts.

Details of the official results are available at www.electionresults.govt.nz

Comment

The anticipation surrounding the final election results for New Zealand in 2023 has come to an end, providing a clearer picture of the upcoming Parliament.

The National Party has experienced a setback, losing two seats compared to the election night outcome. This loss has left them without a majority, even when joined by ACT.

Meanwhile, the Māori Party has gained two additional electorate seats, one of them secured by a margin of just four votes. This has resulted in a total of 122 seats in Parliament, with an upcoming increase to 123 following the Port Waikato by-election.

The three-week period following the election day has been dedicated to counting special votes and conducting thorough ballot checks.

These are the latest election results:

Initially, there were still 600,000 votes awaiting counting after the election night, complicating the National Party's task of forming a government.

Leader Christopher Luxon has engaged in discussions with New Zealand First regarding a potential alliance and will now require their eight votes to achieve a majority.

In a closely contested race, Labour's Peeni Henare lost Tāmaki Makaurau to Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Tarsh Kemp by a slim margin of four votes.

Deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis also experienced defeat in Te Tai Tokerau, losing to Mariameno Kapa-Kingi from Te Pāti Māori by 517 votes. He had previously stated his intention to retire from politics if he lost the seat.

On a positive note for Labour, Phil Twyford and Rachel Boyack have successfully reclaimed Te Atatu and Nelson, respectively. This victory has led to Shanan Halbert and Tracey McLellan losing their list seats.

Furthermore, the Greens have managed to secure an additional seat. 

Electoral Commission. 

Pigeon Post News, Richmond.