Labour has faced a shattering defeat as National and Christopher Luxon now prepare to form the next government. Special votes could still flip some electorates on knife-edge as Chris Hipkins' future remains unknown.
Summary
- Labour's share of the party vote has halved from 2020 — a stunning fall. A bloodbath in marginal general electorates and the Māori seats has shaken the party to its core.
- Hipkins has conceded the election to National, saying that a caretaker government will now operate until Luxon is ready to be sworn in.
- However, there remains uncertainty about how significant a majority Luxon will wield as returns currently show him holding a wafer-thin majority with ACT of 61 seats.
- With special votes still to count, accounting for around 20% of all votes, Winston Peters and New Zealand First could still join Luxon's coalition.
Live updates continue below.
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