OMM Newsroom
The formation of New Zealand’s next government remains uncertain after Saturday’s national election, with final results not expected until 27 November, according to the BBC.
The incumbent National Party and opposition Labour Party were nearly level in their share of the party vote. A projected 67 seats for a conservative bloc led by National, alongside the Act Party and NZ First, would give it a majority of just one seat.
Leaders of the main parties have said they will wait for the final count before holding formal coalition discussions, as possibilities for other alliances remain in play.
Max Rashbrooke, an adjunct senior research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington, told the BBC that major parties on both sides were “likely dissatisfied with their campaigns”. Labour, led by Chris Hipkins, appeared to have inspired few voters despite facing Christopher Luxon, whom Rashbrooke described as a “historically unpopular prime minister”.
National also “failed to spark enthusiasm”, Rashbrooke said, despite appearing well placed to win, given New Zealand had not had a one-term government in more than 50 years.
The result cost National several senior lawmakers, including Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and House Speaker Gerry Brownlee.
Smaller parties gain ground
Act leader David Seymour has said he is interested in becoming finance minister. He told Stuff that National should heed voters’ message and give its coalition partners a greater role.
“The government barely survived, it must now put its best foot forward in every step,” Seymour said.
Rashbrooke said the election-night gains went to “the more radical minor parties”. The left-leaning Greens and right-wing libertarian Act both reached new highs, while the centrist Opportunity Party is projected to win seven seats after failing to enter Parliament in its previous three attempts.
Opportunity’s incoming lawmakers, including party leader Qiulae Wong, went to Parliament on Monday morning for what Wong called a week of “induction stuff”. The party, which has rejected traditional political divisions, has said it is open to a coalition with either of the two main parties.
Wong told reporters that whichever coalition the party joined, its members would need to be “really comfortable with the overall direction the government is going in”. She said Hipkins and Greens leader Chlöe Swarbrick had called to congratulate her, but there had been no coalition discussions.
Luxon, who had previously ruled out working with Opportunity, told public broadcaster RNZ on Monday that he wanted to speak with Wong “shortly”.
Special votes could affect final count
Counting continues for nearly 400,000 special votes, including ballots cast overseas and by voters outside their electorates. They account for 14% of all votes and could be significant in the final tally.
Claire Timperley, a senior politics lecturer, told the BBC on election night that special voters tend to lean left because they are often younger and more likely to rent, and therefore more likely to live outside their electorate.
She added that overseas voters might be more disaffected with the current coalition than usual, amid rising numbers of New Zealanders moving abroad because of cost-of-living pressures.
With the economy stagnating and the job market challenging, a record number of New Zealanders are leaving in search of better career opportunities. More than 114,000 people migrated out of the country in the year to August.
Young people who spoke to the BBC before the election said they were “tired” and “cynical” about the future, reflecting a generally bleak mood shown in polling. Rashbrooke said politics was fragmenting in New Zealand, as elsewhere, but it was not yet clear which parties would ultimately benefit.
The final election results are expected on 27 November, with the official confirmation of MPs scheduled for 3 December.
