Election 2026
New Zealand votes on 7 November 2026
Across the 6 most recent polls (10 Oct 2026 to 26 Oct 2026), the average party vote is Labour 28.4%, National 28.2%, Greens 14.9%, ACT 10.3%. Election day is 7 November 2026.
Election day
7 Nov
Saturday 7 November 2026. Advance voting from 26 October.
Seats to win
61+
of 120, more if there are overhang seats
Party vote threshold
5%
or win one electorate seat
Where the polls stand
Party vote %, each dot is one poll; lines are the average of the last 6 polls
NationalLabourGreensACTNZ FirstTe Pāti MāoriOpportunity
Latest polls
| Poll | Dates | National | Labour | Greens | ACT | NZ First | Te Pāti Māori | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RNZ–Reid Research | 20–26 Oct 2026 | 24.8 | 30.6 | 14.5 | 10.1 | 9.9 | 1.9 | 7.2 |
| 1 News–Verian | 21–25 Oct 2026 | 28.9 | 27.3 | 14.8 | 12.4 | 10 | 0.1 | 6.3 |
| 1 News–Verian | 15–19 Oct 2026 | 32 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 0.7 | 7 |
| The Post/Freshwater Strategy | 9–19 Oct 2026 | 27.6 | 28.7 | 14.3 | 9 | 11.8 | 2 | 5.4 |
| 1 News–Verian | 8–12 Oct 2026 | 28 | 28 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 0.4 | 8 |
| Anacta | 6–10 Oct 2026 | 28 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 1.9 | 5.4 |
Why the overhang matters this time
With the left and right blocs polling within a point or two of each other, a few seats can decide who governs. Overhang seats are one reason: a party that wins electorates without a matching party vote adds seats to Parliament, which raises the number a government needs. See how the overhang works, with a calculator you can change →
Questions people ask
When is the 2026 New Zealand general election?
The general election is on 7 November 2026. Advance voting began on 26 October 2026.
What is an overhang seat in New Zealand politics?
An overhang seat happens when a party wins more electorate seats than its share of the party vote entitles it to. It keeps all of them, and Parliament grows beyond 120 seats to make room. In 2023, Te Pāti Māori won 6 electorates on a party vote worth about 4 seats, so there were 2 overhang seats and Parliament had 122 seats.
How many seats are in the New Zealand Parliament?
Parliament has 120 seats by default. Overhang seats can add to that, which also raises the number needed for a majority. With 122 seats, a majority is 62.
What is the 5% threshold?
Under MMP a party gets a share of list seats if it wins 5% of the party vote or wins at least one electorate seat. Parties below 5% with no electorate win get no seats, and their votes do not count towards the seat split.
Who is leading in the polls?
Polls are close. The average of the 6 most recent polls puts Labour on 28.4% and National on 28.2% (10 Oct 2026 to 26 Oct 2026). Polls are snapshots with a margin of error of roughly 3 points, not forecasts.
Poll data: Wikipedia, Opinion polling for the 2026 New Zealand general election (CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from published polls by 1News–Verian, RNZ–Reid Research, The Post–Freshwater Strategy, Taxpayers' Union–Curia, Roy Morgan and others. 2023 results: Electoral Commission. NZ Business Alliance is non-partisan and does not endorse any party.