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Congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen. Voting is an opportunity to have a say in the decisions that affect your life, your work, your community and the country's future.

New Zealand's voting system can seem confusing at first, especially because you get two votes, and they do two different jobs. I'll explain the system in plain English, using the rules that apply to the 2026 general election.

1. Your two votes

New Zealand uses a system called MMP, which stands for Mixed Member Proportional. In simple terms, it is designed to make the number of seats a political party gets in Parliament broadly reflect the share of votes it receives.

When you vote, you receive a ballot paper with two separate choices.

Vote 1: The party vote

Your choice about the balance of power in Parliament

You choose a political party. This vote largely determines how many of the 120 or so parliamentary seats each party receives.

For example, if a party receives about 30% of the party vote, it would generally be entitled to about 30% of Parliament's seats, subject to the MMP rules.

Vote 2: The electorate vote

Your choice of local representative

You choose a candidate to represent your local electorate (your geographic area) in Parliament.

The candidate with the most votes wins that electorate seat. They do not need more than 50% of the votes; they just need more votes than each other candidate.

The key difference: your party vote helps decide how Parliament is divided between parties. Your electorate vote helps decide who represents your local area.

You can vote for a candidate from one party and a different party on your party vote. You do not have to choose the same party for both.

2. How are seats in Parliament decided?

After the votes are counted, parties receive seats broadly in proportion to their party vote. Here is a simplified example using a Parliament of 120 seats.

Illustration only — these are invented numbers, not a prediction for 2026.

Party A

40% of party vote · about 48 seats

Party B

30% of party vote · about 36 seats

Party C

15% of party vote · about 18 seats

Party D

10% of party vote · about 12 seats

Other parties

5% of party vote · about 6 seats

A party's electorate MPs count towards its total seats. The party then fills its remaining seats with candidates from its party list — a ranked list of people the party has selected to represent it in Parliament. What is MMP?How are MPs elected?

There is one important rule for smaller parties:

• Usually, a party must win at least 5% of the party vote, or win at least one electorate seat, to qualify for seats in Parliament.
• Winning an electorate seat can therefore allow a party with less than 5% of the party vote to enter Parliament.

This is one reason your two votes can have different effects.

3. How is a government formed?

Winning the most votes is not the same as automatically forming the government. The important question is whether a party, or a group of parties, can command the support of a majority in Parliament. What is MMP?How government works

Here is how it works.

1

Votes are counted

The electorate winners are identified, and each qualifying party's total number of seats is worked out.

2

Parties discuss possible agreements

If no party has enough seats to govern by itself, parties negotiate with one another. They may agree to work together, or a smaller party may agree to support a larger party.

3

A government gains Parliament's support

The party or parties able to maintain the confidence of Parliament can form the government. They agree on who will be Prime Minister and which MPs will serve as ministers.

What do coalition and support agreements mean?

• Coalition: Two or more parties join together to form a government. They normally agree on shared priorities and responsibilities.
• Confidence and supply agreement: A party agrees to support a government on key votes that allow it to stay in office and fund government services, without necessarily joining the government as a full coalition partner.
• Single-party government: One party has enough parliamentary support to govern without needing a formal coalition.

For example, imagine Party A wins 48 seats, Party B wins 36 and Party C wins 18.

• Party A alone has 48 seats, so it does not have a majority.
• Party A and Party C together have 66 seats.
• Party B and Party C together have 54 seats, which is also short of a majority.

In this simplified example, Party A could form a government with Party C if they agree to work together. The parties' actual policies and negotiations would matter when deciding whether an agreement is possible.

The lesson is that a smaller party can influence government decisions if its seats are needed to form a majority. How government worksWhat is New Zealand's MMP electoral system and does it favour coalitions?

4. How can you decide how to use your votes?

You don't need to understand every political issue or know every party's history to make an informed choice. Start with what matters to you and compare what the parties and candidates say they will do.

Here are some useful questions to ask yourself:

• Cost of living: What do they propose for wages, taxes, housing and everyday expenses?
• Work and the economy: What are their plans for jobs, employment rights, training and businesses?
• Health and education: What changes do they propose to public healthcare, schools and other services?
• Immigration and citizenship: What are their policies on immigration, settlement and citizenship?
• Climate and the environment: What do they propose about energy, transport and environmental protection?
• Trust and delivery: Have they explained how their plans would work and how they would pay for them?

You can use these questions for both your party vote and your electorate vote. For the party vote, focus on the party's overall direction and policies. For the electorate vote, also consider the individual candidate's experience, priorities and willingness to represent local people.

No party has to receive both your votes. It is perfectly valid to choose different parties for the two votes.

5. When is the 2026 election, and what should you do next?

Election day: Saturday 7 November 2026

Advance voting starts on Monday 26 October. Key dates for 2026 General ElectionVoting places announced for 2026 election

Check your enrolment

You must be enrolled before voting starts. The deadline to enrol or update your details is midnight on Sunday 25 October 2026. You can check or update your details at Vote NZ. Enrol to vote by 25 October2026 General Election

Learn about the parties and candidates

The Electoral Commission's official information explains how the system works. You can also compare parties' published policies and read what candidates say about local issues.

• Official guide to MMP
• 2026 election information

The most important things to remember

• Party vote: helps determine how many seats each party gets in Parliament.
• Electorate vote: chooses your local representative.
• Forming a government: depends on which party or group of parties can secure enough support in Parliament to govern.
• Your choice: you can split your votes between different parties, and you are free to make your own decision.

As a new citizen, you are entitled to take part in this democratic process. You don't need to be an expert in politics. Understanding the two votes, checking reliable information and thinking about the issues that matter to you are a strong place to start.