Minor parties draw four in ten votes in New Zealand

ABC's Auckland correspondent links the fragmented election result to economic disenchantment and expects continuity in relations with Australia.

Channel: ABC News (Australia) ·

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New Zealand election in deadlock after four in 10 Kiwis snub major parties | ABC NEWS

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0:25Luxon describes a pathway to government but acknowledges that the election is too close to call.
0:43Hipkins says the government's final shape remains uncertain and calls for compromise and cooperation.
3:10Dziedzic says uncounted special votes could affect the result and have historically leaned left.
5:16Economic distress and living costs underpin Dziedzic's account of disenchantment, lower turnout and substantial minor-party support.
7:01Dziedzic expects Australia's relationship with New Zealand to remain strong under either major-party leader.

Four in ten New Zealand voters backed minor parties, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's report, leaving a fragmented electorate and no settled answer on who will govern.

Reporting from Auckland, foreign affairs correspondent Stephen Dziedzic identifies economic frustration as a central part of the story. Inflation and the cost of living have contributed to discontent, he says, while turnout was lower and support stretched well beyond the two main parties.

"The main feeling in the electorate here at the moment is one of disenchantment," Dziedzic says.

The immediate parliamentary outcome remains unresolved. Incumbent Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, leader of centre-right National, says his camp has a pathway to government, but acknowledges: "I have to tell you right now, it is too close to call." Labour leader Chris Hipkins, whose party is centre-left, has not conceded and calls for compromise and cooperation.

Dziedzic describes barely any separation between Labour and the governing coalition in the raw votes. Just under 400,000 special votes remain to be counted, he reports, adding that these have historically leaned left. That is a reason the remaining count matters, not a prediction of its outcome.

New Zealand's mixed-member proportional electoral system combines constituency MPs with party-list seats, making negotiations between parties a normal part of forming a government. Here, both the unfinished count and the distribution of support leave those negotiations consequential.

For Australian viewers, the report ends with a distinction between electoral uncertainty and diplomatic stability. Over archival footage featuring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Dziedzic predicts that relations would remain broadly consistent under either Luxon or Hipkins: "It's a very deep and strong relationship."