Last night's election results has seen a surge in electorates switching from blue to red, including seats which have traditionally been National strongholds.
Rangitata, in Ashburton, had been touted as the most conservative electorate in the country before yesterday, when Labour’s Jo Luxton bested National's Megan Hands for the seat.
Luxton said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the result with National having held the seat since its inception in 2008.
The Rangitata seat was previously embroiled in a sex text scandal which led National MP Andrew Falloon to resign in August.
“It's something we'd always hoped for, of course, but certainly hadn't expected it,” Luxton said.
The Labour landslide has been felt not just in Rangitata but across the country, with 15 seats previously held by National MPs swinging red, including in the provinces.
In some electorates, the swing has not occurred in decades.
In Nelson, National MP Nick Smith was thanked for his three decades as the local MP after the seat was snatched by Labour’s Rachel Boyack.
It also saw National MP Gerry Brownlee lose the Christchurch seat of Ilam to Labour’s Sarah Pallett. Brownlee had held the seat since entering parliament in 1996.
Both Smith and Brownlee can stay on as list MPs. However, Brownlee is considering whether or not to stay in politics following the surprise defeat.
“It's for me to think about over the next few days,” he told TVNZ’s Q+A.
Meanwhile, celebrations reached new heights for Labour’s Kieran McAnulty, who called the win in Wairarapa “a dream come true”.
The electorate had been blue for 15 years before McAnulty's win.
“I think it's a reflection of the faith people have in the Labour Party.”
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