Key Points
- New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has conceded defeat in the country's general election.
- National leader Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand's next prime minister.
- National's victory will unseat the Labour Party after six years in office.
National leader Christopher Luxon has claimed victory in a New Zealand election that shifts the country to the right, ending six years of Labour-led government and unseating Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
"You have reached for hope and you have voted for change," Luxon told supporters in Auckland on Saturday night.
"National is in a position to lead the next government and my pledge to you is that my government will lead for every New Zealander."
With 91 per cent of the preliminary vote counted, National was sitting on 39.4 per cent, with Labour on 26.6 per cent.
Christopher Luxon to become New Zealand prime minister
Luxon, a former Air New Zealand chief executive, will become prime minister, completing a remarkable turnaround for the first-term MP.
Voters have rejected Labour's campaign for a third term under new leader Hipkins, who succeeded previous prime minister Jacinda Ardern in January.
The six-week election campaign - dubbed the battle of the Chrises - featured National attacking Labour's record and Labour attacking National's policy prescriptions. National campaigned on tax relief, a crackdown on crime, and public service cuts.
Hipkins told supporters in Wellington that despite the party's biggest-ever grassroots campaign, "unfortunately the results tonight show that wasn't enough".
"Earlier this evening I called Christopher Luxon to congratulate him on National's results," he said. "Labour is not in a position to form another government."
Polls in the lead-up to election day suggested National would win the contest but would need support from two minor parties - ACT and New Zealand First - to govern.
Christopher Luxon Source: AAP / Erik Anderson
Labour's party vote crashes
Labour's party vote has fallen drastically from a record 50 per cent in 2020, with the party set to lose seats it has held for generations.
The Greens are on track to grow their MPs, sitting on 10.4 per cent, but are bound for opposition given the collapse of the overall left vote.
The Maori Party is on 2.5 per cent, leading in four of the Maori electorates and on track to double its parliamentary representation.
