Barbara Edmonds has a 9,297-vote lead in Kenepuru and Tim Costley is 2,077 ahead in Kāpiti, as Porirua voters await the special-vote count and the final shape of the next Parliament.
The completed preliminary results from Saturday’s general election put Labour ahead in Kenepuru and National ahead in Kāpiti, the two general electorates covering Porirua under the new boundaries.
All voting-place results have been returned, but special votes are not included. The figures remain preliminary until the official results on Friday 27 November.
Kenepuru
Edmonds received 17,294 electorate votes, ahead of National’s Matthew Evetts on 7,997. Green candidate Lan Pham was third with 2,587, followed by New Zealand First’s Jon Blackshaw on 1,478 and Opportunity’s Robert Mason on 1,135.
Kenepuru includes central and eastern Porirua, Tītahi Bay and Papakōwhai, together with Tawa and Johnsonville. The electorate was created when the former Mana, Ōhāriu and Ōtaki seats were reconfigured, so comparisons with their previous results are not like for like.
Labour also led Kenepuru’s party vote with 13,111, followed by National on 6,254 and the Greens on 4,669. The party vote helps determine each party’s overall strength in Parliament; the electorate vote selects the local MP.
Kāpiti
Costley received 20,689 votes to Labour candidate Sophie Handford’s 18,612. The Greens’ Melody Willis had 1,803, New Zealand First’s Penny Gaylor 1,443 and Opportunity’s Chee Khiang Sng 930.
The electorate includes Whitby, Pāuatahanui and Pukerua Bay and extends north along the Kāpiti Coast to Ōtaki.
Although Costley led the candidate contest, Labour received the most party votes in Kāpiti, with 13,581 to National’s 12,321. The Greens received 5,616.
Te Tai Hauāuru
For Porirua voters on the Māori roll, Te Pāti Māori’s Debbie Ngarewa-Packer led Labour’s Te Pūoho Kātene by 3,841 votes in Te Tai Hauāuru.
Ngarewa-Packer had 14,677 votes and Kātene 10,836, with National’s Coral Raukawa on 1,104. These figures cover the whole electorate, not Porirua alone.
Te Tai Tokerau
Further north, Te Tai Tokerau remains a close Māori-electorate contest. Te Pāti Māori’s Aperahama Edwards led the Greens’ Hūhana Lyndon by 436 votes, with 8,484 to 8,048.
Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime received 6,209 votes and the Te Tai Tokerau Party’s Mariameno Kapa-Kingi 4,059. All 439 preliminary results have been returned, with special votes still outstanding.
The national picture
Labour leads the preliminary party vote with 29.36%, narrowly ahead of National on 29.21%.
The preliminary allocation projects a 131-seat Parliament: National 42, Labour 36, the Greens 16, ACT 13, New Zealand First 12, Opportunity seven and Te Pāti Māori five.
The projection includes 11 overhang seats above Parliament’s usual 120. Overhang seats arise when parties win more electorates than their party-vote entitlement.
National, ACT and New Zealand First together have a projected 67 seats, against the 66 needed for a majority in a Parliament of that size. Special votes could change the allocation.
The Electoral Commission estimates 399,365 special votes nationwide still need checking and counting. Ordinary votes will also be recounted before the official results are released on Friday 27 November.