Election 2020: Labour has the numbers to form the next government

This RNZ news is republished with permission 

Labour has the numbers to govern alone as the final results come in for the 2020 Election.

Photo: AFP

The preliminary results, released from 7pm, started to show a large lead for Labour.

See all the results here.

With more than three-quarters of the votes counted, Labour is on 49.0 percent, National is on 27.0 percent, the Greens are on 7.6 and ACT is on 8.1 percent.

New Zealand First is on 2.6 percent, The Opportunities Party is on 1.4 and New Conservatives on 1.5 percent, while the Māori Party is on 1 percent and Advance NZ on 0.9 percent.

In Waiariki, there is a desperately close race between Tamati Coffey and the Maori Party’s Rawiri Waititi. If Waititi wins, then he will return the Maori Party to Parliament.

National MP Gerry Brownlee is looking likely to lose his Ilam seat in Christchurch, which he has held since the seat was created in 1996.

There are some clear leaders in some electorates, but others are extremely close.

In some electorates, it’s just a matter of a few hundred votes separating the leading candidate and those who are coming second.

While more than 50 percent of the electorate and party votes have been counted, the percentage of votes counted in individual electorates vary.

As at 9.30pm, these are the electorates with the closest margins:

• Auckland Central – Green’s Chlöe Swarbrick leads. Labour’s Helen White is second. Margin is 475.
• Hutt South – Labour’s Ginny Anderson leads. National’s Chris Bishop is second. Margin is 459.
• Invercargill – Labour’s Liz Craig leads. National’s Penny Simmonds is second. Margin is 801.
• Kaikōura – National’s Stuart Smith leads. Labour’s Matt Flight is second. Margin is 837.
• Maungakiekie – National’s Denise Lee leads. Labour’s Priyanca Radhakrishnan is second. Margin is 280.
• Northland – National’s Matt King leads. Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime is second. Margin is 263.
• Ōtaki – Labour’s Terisa Ngobi leads. National’s Tim Costley is second. Margin is 152.
• Rangitīkei – Labour’s Soraya Peke-Mason leads. National’s Ian McKelvie is second. Margin is 302.
• Rotorua – National’s Todd McClay leads. Labour’s Claire Mahon is second. Margin is 376.
• Tukituki – Labour’s Anna Lorck leads. National’s Lawrence Yule is second. Margin is 940.
• Waimakariri – National’s Matt Doocey leads. Labour’s Dan Rosewarne is second. Margin is 250.
• Whangārei – Labour’s Emily Henderson leads. National’s Shane Reti is second. Margin is 484.
• Tāmaki Makaurau – Labour’s Peeni Henare leads. Māori Party’s John Tamihere is second. Margin is 807.
• Te Tai Hauāuru – Labour’s Adrian Rurawhe leads. Māori Party’s Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is second. Margin is 546.
• Waiariki – Labour’s Tamati Coffey leads. Māori Party’s Rawiri Waititi is second. Margin is 17.

Follow all the latest developments with RNZ’s live blog

About 300 people are at the Labour Party’s Wellington regional event at the Wharewaka on the capital’s waterfront, with candidates Grant Robertson, Greg O’Connor, Ayesha Verrall and Ibrahim Omer all attending, as well as epidemiologist Michael Baker.

ACT leader David Seymour has addressed party faithful at the party’s election headquarters in the Viaduct, and says the new ACT MPs that have been elected tonight will work at proposing ideas, not just opposing them, for a better tomorrow.

National’s faithful began trickling into its election night party at Auckland’s Royal Squadron Yacht Club in Westhaven from around 7pm, but MP Paul Goldsmith told RNZ it was a “tough night for National and for our supporters”.

New Zealand First Party is holding an election night event in Russell, Northland Photo: RNZ

Almost 2 million people cast their vote early this year, including 233,575 who voted yesterday.

Votes in the two referendums on end of life choice and cannabis will not be counted tonight, and preliminary results will be released on 30 October.

Official results of the election and referendums will be announced on 6 November.