Election polls in New Zealand continue to show no clear outcome

Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s former prime minister and leader of the Labour Party, left, looks at a computer monitor during a campaign event at RocketWerkz studios in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. Most polls on Oct 28, 2026 had the two main parties neck-and-neck, suggesting the election remains too close to call and the next government will feature a mix of parties in a coalition. - Bloomberg

WELLINGTON: Nine days out from New Zealand’s general election on November 7, polls continue to show no clear winner or even coalition grouping.

A Radio New Zealand-Reid Research poll released on Thursday saw opposition party Labour sitting at 30.6 per cent and able to form a government with the support of the Greens and Opportunity. In this poll, the ruling National party had fallen to just 24.8 per cent of the vote.

A poll released earlier in the week by 1News and Verian poll had National Party sitting at 29 per cent of the vote and alongside coalition partners New Zealand First and ACT possibly had the numbers to return to government.

Polls indicate several overhang seats - where a party wins more electorate seats than their party vote would allocate them so extra seats are added to parliament - will be needed. The total number of seats in the next parliament will be crucial to which coalition can form a government.

New Zealand uses a mixed member proportional system, which tends to favour coalition governments. - Reuters