National Leads Labour in Early New Zealand Election Count

New Zealand's National Party led Labour in early general election returns on 7 November, with 10% of votes counted. The preliminary snapshot reported at 07:18 UTC put National at 31.2% and Labour at 28.3%, after voting closed at 19:00 local time. Counting was continuing, and the figures were not a final result. National's governing partners ACT and New Zealand First had 11.3% and 9.7% respectively. The Greens stood at 12.7%, while Opportunity had 5.6%. Incumbent Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was seeking a second term, with Chris Hipkins leading Labour. Labour campaign spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said National's share was higher than his party had expected. The Electoral Commission said preliminary results would be released progressively after polls closed. Its counting guidance states: “We do not use vote counting machines.” Election-night results cover advance votes and ordinary votes cast on election day. Special votes are counted later and can arrive up to 10 days after the election; the official count also rechecks and recounts voting papers. Advance voting ran from 26 October through 6 November. The Commission's election timetable schedules official results for 27 November 2026 and requires Parliament to meet by 14 January 2027. Those later steps follow the preliminary election-night count.