---
title: "Coalition builder: who can form the next NZ government? | NZ Business Alliance"
description: "Pick parties and see whether they reach a majority in the new Parliament, using a projection from the final 2026 polls. Plus the coalition talks timeline."
source: https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/coalition/
---

[Election 2026](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/)

# Who can form a government?

Under MMP a government needs parties holding a majority of seats to support it. Pick the parties and see if they get there.

Seats projected from the final pollsNZ Business Alliance

**Not endorsed by any party.** NZ Business Alliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any political party or candidate. This page is purely informational: it summarises what each party has said, it does not recommend how to vote, and the party's own website is always the authority on its policy.

## Build a coalition

Tick parties to add their seats. Pick a common combination to start.

No result yet, so these seats are a projection from the final poll average, assuming Te Pāti Māori keeps its six Māori electorates and ACT keeps Epsom, as in 2023. It is a calculation, not a forecast.
______________

125 seats. The line marks a majority of 63.

| Combination | Seats | Majority? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| National, ACT and NZ First (the parties in the 2023–26 Government) | 59 of 125 | No, 4 short |
| Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori | 58 of 125 | No, 5 short |
| National and ACT | 47 of 125 | No, 16 short |
| Labour and Greens | 52 of 125 | No, 11 short |
| National and NZ First | 46 of 125 | No, 17 short |
| National and Labour | 68 of 125 | Yes, 5 to spare |

## What the parties have said

NZ First says it has ruled out working with Labour (see [our NZ First summary](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/nz-first/) and its sources). Opportunity has set out [five bottom lines](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/parties/opportunity/) it would require in return for its support. Parties can also support a government without joining it, through confidence and supply agreements, so a majority does not have to mean a formal coalition.

## The coalition talks

Talks start once the results are in. This timeline is updated as parties announce agreements.
- **7 November:** election day; preliminary results from 7pm.
- **27 November 2026:** official result declared, including special votes.
- **3 December:** latest date for the writ to be returned.
- **Then:** Parliament must meet within six weeks of the writ’s return.

How these seats are worked out: see [the overhang explained](https://alliance.org.nz/election-2026/overhang/). Before results, the projection carries over only the 2023 electorates that decide whether a small party gets in; boundaries changed in 2025, so it is a rough guide.

Results: [Electoral Commission](https://electionresults.govt.nz/) preliminary and official results. Seats calculated by NZ Business Alliance with the Sainte-Laguë method. Poll data: [Wikipedia, Opinion polling for the 2026 New Zealand general election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2026_New_Zealand_general_election) (CC BY-SA 4.0). NZ Business Alliance is non-partisan and does not endorse any party.