New Zealand

House of Representatives

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s): 17 Oct 2020
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 06 Sep 2020
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Number of seats at stake: 120
Scope of elections: Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election: 17

Notes: 548 candidates (313 men, 235 women) ran for the 48 list seats (filled under the proportional representation system) and 601 (375 men, 225 women and 1 gender diverse/not specified) ran for the 72 electorate seats (the majority system). Some candidates ran only for the electorate or list seats. Others ran for both lists. Candidates are thus double counted.
Total number of candidates: 677
Number of male candidates: 413
Number of female candidates: 263
Number of other candidates: 1
Percentage of women candidates: 38.8%

Voter turnout

Registered voters: 3,549,580
Voters: 2,894,486
Voter turnout: 81.5%

Results

About the election: 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.
Number of parties winning seats: 5
Percentage of parties winning seats: 29.4%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition: 54.2%
Alternation of power after elections: No
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Labour Party

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group	Total	Electorate seats	List seats
Labour Party	65	46	19
National Party	33	23	10
ACT New Zealand	10	1	9
Green Party	10	1	9
Maori Party	2	1	1

Members elected, by sex

Number of men elected: 62
Number of women elected: 58
Percentage of women elected: 48.3%
Women Directly Elected: 58
Sources: House of Representatives (09.11.2020, 25.11.2020)

Electoral Commission (10.03.2021)

https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/

https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2020/candidate-and-party-lists-released/

BBC

CNN

https://www.theguardian.com

https://www.stuff.co.nz

New legislature

Total number of men after the election: 62
Total number of women after the election: 58
Percentage of women after the election: 48.3%
First-term parliamentarians: 42
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians: 35.0%
Date of the first session: 25 Nov 2020

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature: Trevor Mallard (Male)
Date of birth: 1957
Political party: Labour Party
Date of election: 25 Nov 2020