Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party won an outright majority, taking 65 seats in the 120-member Parliament, nearly twice as many as its closest rival the National Party, led by Ms. Judith Collins. The Labour Party thereby became the first party to win a majority under the current electoral system (see note). The new Labour MPs included 16 Māoris and the country’s first African-born MP. A record 58 women (48.33%) were elected, up from 46 in 2017 (38.33%). Around 10% of the newly elected MPs identify as being from the LGBTQ+ community. On 2 November, Prime Minister Ardern formed a new Cabinet including the first Maori and first female foreign minister.

The 2020 elections, initially scheduled for 19 September, were postponed to 17 October due to the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. During election campaigning, the major parties focused on the pandemic and climate change. The Labour Party promised to introduce more climate-friendly policies, increase funding for disadvantaged schools and raise income taxes for top earners.

Note:
The modification of the electoral system from a majority system into the Mixed-Member Proportional representation system (MMP) was approved in a referendum held simultaneously with the 1993 elections. It was first applied to the 1996 elections.