17 Oct 2020

Early results show large lead for Labour

8:19 pm on 17 October 2020

With 20.5 percent of the votes counted, Labour is on 50.3 percent, National is on 25.9 percent, the Greens are on 8.3 and ACT is on 7.7 percent.

Signs around Christchurch

File image. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

New Zealand First is on 2.2 percent, both The Opportunities Party is on 1.3 and New Conservatives on 1.4 percent, while the Māori Party is on 0.8 percent and Advance NZ on 0.8 percent, too.

These results started coming in early because advance votes have been counted from 9am today - and there are a lot of them - and the Electoral Commission have started releasing preliminary results from 7pm.

Advance votes increased about 60 percent compared to the previous election, with just under 2 million votes cast before election day this year.

The Electoral Commission's target is to have:

  • 50 percent of results available by 10pm
  • 95 percent of results available by 11.30pm
  • Special votes have a deadline of 10 days after election day
  • Preliminary referendum results will be released on 30 October

Read more about the 2020 election: