The Front Page: Recapping National and Act’s election win and Labour’s big defeats

Labour leader Chris Hipkins delivers his concession speech at an election event in Upper Hutt. Photo / George Heard

From the moment the votes started coming in on Saturday night, it was clear that change was on the cards. New Zealand’s voting public had demanded change at the ballot box.

Political commentators described this as a complete rejection of the legacy of former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern.

Pollster David Farrar told media this was the biggest swing since the emergence of the two-party system in 1938, serving as an indication of just how significant this turnaround was. Key Labour candidates lost electorate seats in defeats that no one saw coming.

Michael Wood lost Mount Roskill, and Phil Twyford Te Atatū, while Labour also lost Napier and the East Coast. At one stage, it looked like National might be able to claim Mount Albert, a seat that has been a Labour stronghold since 1946. Labour currently holds that seat by the thinnest of margins at 100 votes.

The Greens also claimed a few trophies from Labour, most significantly winning Wellington Central.

The losses have led to questions about the future of Chris Hipkins as the Labour leader, with some suggesting he will step down in the coming weeks.

The problem is that the massive exodus of Labour talent has left a question mark over who could possibly replace him at the helm of the political party.

On the other side of the political spectrum, National leader Christopher Luxon has had the fastest ascendancy from political novice to Prime Minister in the history of the country.

While he has led his party to a dominant win over Labour, he will need to sharpen his political teeth to negotiate with wily operator New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who may well hold the balance of power.

Under the latest results, National and Act hold 61 seats, with a 62nd likely after the Port Waikato byelection next month. But with the often left-leaning special votes still coming in over the next few weeks, National and Act will inevitably have to collaborate with NZ First.

So what could that look like? And what does this mean for Labour as the party looks to rebuild?

Listen to a special crossover episode of The Front Page and On The Campaign podcasts, featuring Hamish Fletcher and Georgina Campbell, for a rundown on the big takeaways from the 2023 election.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.