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IrelandNational could win power but lose politically, Wilson tells NZ Herald
The post-election panel examines coalition concessions, while Labour candidate Max Harris argues Chris Hipkins still has a path to the premiership.
nzherald.co.nz
Story of Why this story? One of nzherald.co.nz's most watched videos since yesterday, with 14,247 views.
Would victory be worth it for National? | Election 2026: The Podcast
Next story: Brownlee urges National to review its campaign without recriminations
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- 2:30Wilson argues National's loss of urban liberal support has narrowed the party's political base.
- 9:12Bradford asks whether TOP could moderate a coalition without sacrificing its own political standing.
- 13:52Harris says he believes Chris Hipkins could still become prime minister by Christmas.
- 15:15Harris defends Labour's campaign emphasis on universal provision, healthcare and a capital gains tax.
- 31:00Harris criticises the disproportionate effects of overhang seats and recent voter-registration restrictions.
- 37:00Wilson answers the title's question: forming a government could leave National facing deeper structural difficulties.
Forming a government could deepen National's problems rather than resolve them, political commentator Janet Wilson argues in the NZ Herald's post-election podcast.
With votes still being counted, Wilson tells host Katie Bradford that a return to office could leave Christopher Luxon's party weakened and dependent on its negotiating partners. Labour's Tāmaki candidate Max Harris joins the discussion, which drew about 14,000 views since yesterday.
Wilson's argument goes beyond the campaign review Gerry Brownlee called for, as we reported here. She says National has lost urban liberal support and faces a divide between supporters determined to retain power and those disillusioned with its direction. Harris offers a related interpretation: voters have punished National rather than ACT and New Zealand First.
Those are the guests' assessments of the preliminary result. The practical question Bradford raises is whether the centrist Opportunity Party, also known as TOP, could moderate a coalition, or sacrifice its own political standing by joining one.
Labour does not escape scrutiny. Bradford questions why its vote increased only modestly despite what she describes as a mood for change. Harris defends its emphasis on healthcare, universal provision and a capital gains tax. He also says: "I really believe Chris Hipkins could be Prime Minister by Christmas." Hipkins previously served as prime minister in 2023.
The discussion later turns to overhang seats, which arise when a party wins more electorate seats than its party-vote entitlement would normally provide. Harris criticises their disproportionate effects, while Wilson returns to the episode's central concern: the policy concessions National might have to make to ACT and New Zealand First to secure another government.
New Zealand’s centre-right party and the senior party in the current government. It is one of the country’s two main political parties.
More on Wikipedia ›New Zealand’s prime minister since 2023 and a National Party politician. He previously led Air New Zealand.
More on Wikipedia ›One of New Zealand’s two main political parties, Labour is centre-left and National’s traditional rival.
More on Wikipedia ›A centrist New Zealand political party, also known as TOP, founded in 2016. It provisionally won seven seats in the 2026 election.
More on Wikipedia ›Leader of New Zealand’s Labour Party since January 2023 and opposition leader since November 2023. He served as prime minister from January to November 2023.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Video published
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The numbers
The coalition discussion was nzherald.co.nz's most-watched new video since yesterday, gaining about 14,000 views.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which electorate did Max Harris contest for Labour?
Harris is introduced in the podcast as Labour's candidate for Tāmaki.