# NZ election 2026 live results: count on as National and Labour battle it out in knife-edge New Zealand poll

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nz-election-2026-live-results-count-on-as-national-and-labour-battle-it-out-in-knife-edge-new-zealand-poll/
- Published: 2026-11-07T06:33:16+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T07:36:41+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/nov/07/nz-general-election-2026-live-updates-results-new-zealand-polls
- Topics: Elections, Politics, Software, Technology, World

## Key points

- Labour and National were level in the early party vote count.
- Ginny Anderson led Chris Bishop by a handful of votes.
- Tamatha Paul held a strong lead over Ayesha Verrall.

## Summary

New Zealand’s 2026 election count showed National and Labour running neck and neck in the party vote, raising the prospect of a close contest for government. The tight national result was reflected in several Wellington-area electorates, where small leads and changing expectations kept supporters watching closely.

With more than 20% of votes counted, Labour’s Ginny Anderson was narrowly ahead of National incumbent Chris Bishop in Hutt South. Green MP Julie-Anne Genter was just ahead of Labour’s Craig Renney in Wellington North, while Labour’s Kieran McAnulty led National’s Mike Butterick in Wairarapa. In another Wellington North race, Green incumbent Tamatha Paul held a comfortable lead over Labour’s Ayesha Verrall, with the Green Party also ahead in the electorate’s party vote.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.