New Zealand

House of Representatives

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes
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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)
14 Oct 2023
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
No information available
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections
30 Sep 2026
Number of seats at stake
123
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
17
Total number of candidates
567

Notes:

- Under the mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system used in New Zealand, candidates can stand as an electorate candidate, a list candidate, or both.

- In 2023, a total of 449 candidates (261 men and 188 women) ran for the list seats (filled under a proportional representation system), while 486 (300 men and 186 women) ran for the electorate seats (where a majority system is used). Some candidates are thus double counted.

- The number of candidates in this section refers to the actual number of people who ran for election, and is not double counted.

- Candidates can state their gender from the options of ‘male’, ‘female’, or ‘other’. However, this is not a compulsory field for candidates to complete.

- The category ‘other’ (above) includes four candidates who selected ‘other’ as their gender, and five candidates who did not state their gender.

Number of male candidates
329
Number of female candidates
229
Number of other candidates
9
Percentage of women candidates
40.4%

Voter turnout

Registered voters
3,688,292
Voters
2,884,111
Voter turnout
78.2%

Results

About the election

The Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, lost its majority in the 123-member Parliament in 2023 (see note). It won 34 seats (down from 65). On the contrary, the National Party, led by former businessman Christopher Luxon, increased its share of seats from 33 to 49 seats and became the largest force in the new legislature. The Maori party tripled its share from two to six seats.

On 24 November, Mr. Luxon announced a coalition government comprising his National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First. On 27 November, Governor General Cindy Kiro swore in Mr. Luxon as Prime Minister along with the ministers of his cabinet.

The 2023 elections were the first to be held with Prime Minister Hipkins in office. He came to power in January 2023 after Ms. Jacinda Ardern resigned as Prime Minister and announced that she would not stand for re election. The key electoral issues included public debt, rising housing costs, relations with the indigenous Maori population, and climate change, as well as foreign and defence policy.

Note:

New Zealand uses the Mixed Member Proportional system. In cases where parties win more electoral seats than their share of seats as determined by the party vote, they may keep the extras, known as "overhang seats". Two overhang seats were allotted to the Maori Party in 2023, bringing the total number of Members of Parliament to 123, instead of the statutory 120.

Number of parties winning seats
6
Percentage of parties winning seats
35.3%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
39.8%
Alternation of power after elections
Yes
Number of parties in government
3
Names of parties in government
National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group Total Electorate seats List seats
National Party 49 44 5
Labour Party 34 17 17
Green Party 15 3 12
ACT New Zealand 11 2 9
New Zealand First 8 0 8
Maori Party 6 6 0
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
67
Number of women elected
56

Notes:

- By the announcement of the official results on 3 November, 122 of the 123 seats had been confirmed, of which 54 had been won by women.

- On 25 November, a deferred election was held in Port Waikato, where the election had been postponed due to the death of a candidate.

- A male candidate of the National Party, who had already been elected under the party list, won the election, bringing the total tally for the party to 49 out of the full 123 members. A woman candidate on the list of the National Party replaced the male candidate who won the electoral seat, bringing the total number of women to 55.

- Meanwhile, a male candidate elected under the Labour Party ticket announced he would not take up his seat and was replaced by a woman, bringing the total number of women to 56.

- As at 12 December 2023, there were thus 56 women out of the full 123 members.

Percentage of women elected
45.5%
Women Directly Elected
56
Sources

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
67
Total number of women after the election
56
Percentage of women after the election
45.5%
First-term parliamentarians
41
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
33.3%
Date of the first session
05 Dec 2023

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Gerry Brownlee (Male)
Date of birth: 04 Feb 1956
Political party
National Party
Date of election
05 Dec 2023

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No