In brief
On 7 November 2026, New Zealand’s polling stations closed nationwide with the National and Labour parties close to a 30% popular vote share in the first 27.4% of ballots counted. Early numbers from the Electoral Commission and BBC Live put National at roughly 31% and Labour near 28%, while Al Jazeera noted both parties just below 30%. Full results will be released on 27 November.
Voting in New Zealand ended on 7 November 2026 with polling stations across the country closing at 7 pm local time, marking the end of the national election cycle.
According to the Electoral Commission, 27.4 % of ballots had been counted, leaving both the ruling National Party and the opposition Labour Party with results slightly below 30 percent of the popular vote, a margin of only a few thousand votes.
BBC Live reported that the National Party held approximately 31.5 percent of the tally while Labour was near 28.4 percent after additional ballots had been processed.
ABC’s live coverage noted the National Party at 30.71 percent of the vote, with Labour trailing, reflecting early shifts as more votes were counted.
Al Jazeera’s brief update highlighted that early results suggest both parties are just under 30 percent of the popular vote.
The Electoral Commission will announce the full results on 27 November, once all ballots have been processed.
Until full counting concludes, the race remains close, with early figures indicating only a narrow gap between the two major parties.
