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I'm an eligible voter who finds political jargon difficult and hasn't voted before. I want clear explanations without being talked down to. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Explain how voting works and why there are two votes using ordinary words.
New Zealand’s 2026 general election: how voting works
If you haven't voted before, the New Zealand voting system can seem confusing at first. The key thing to know is that you get two votes because you're choosing both who represents you locally and which parties have a say in running the country.
New Zealand uses a system called MMP. The name sounds technical, but the basic idea is straightforward. Let's go through it step by step, using ordinary language.
1. What are the two votes for?
Vote 1: Your party vote
This is the vote that largely determines how many seats each political party gets in Parliament.
You choose the party you want to support. The more party votes a party receives across New Zealand, the more seats it will generally get, provided it qualifies for seats under the electoral rules.
Vote 2: Your electorate vote
This is the vote for the person you want to represent your local area in Parliament.
Your area is called an electorate. You choose one candidate from the people standing in that electorate. The candidate with the most votes wins the seat.
You can vote for a party and a local candidate from different parties. You're not required to choose the same party for both votes.
For example, you might prefer one party's overall plans for the country but think a candidate from another party would represent your local area well. The system lets you express both preferences.
2. How does your party vote affect Parliament?
New Zealand's Parliament normally has 120 seats. Each seat is held by a Member of Parliament, or MP.
The party vote helps determine how those seats are shared out between parties. A party that gets about 30% of the party vote will generally be entitled to about 30% of the seats — roughly 36 out of 120. That's an illustration, not an election prediction. What is MMP?What is our MMP voting system?
Here's a simple example of how the system works:
Illustrative example only — not a forecast for 2026
Party A
40% of party votes
Party B
30% of party votes
Party C
20% of party votes
Other qualifying parties
10%
The principle: a party's share of seats broadly reflects its share of the party vote, rather than only how many local electorates it wins.
What are party lists?
You may hear people talk about list MPs. Here's what that means.
- Each party puts forward a list of candidates.
- After the electorate winners are known, parties receive additional seats based on their party-vote entitlement.
- Those additional seats are filled by candidates from the party's list.
This helps Parliament reflect how people voted nationally, even if a party doesn't win many local electorates. What is MMP?What is our MMP voting system?
There's also an important rule: generally, a party must either win at least 5% of the party vote or win at least one electorate seat to qualify for its proportional share of seats. What is our MMP voting system?What is MMP?
3. How does a government get chosen?
Voting for a party doesn't directly elect the Prime Minister. Instead, voters elect Parliament, and the government is formed after the results are known.
- People cast their two votes.
- The votes are counted and MPs' seats are allocated.
- Parties see how many seats they have won and whether they can work with other parties.
- A party, or a group of parties that can command enough support in Parliament, forms the government.
For example, if no party wins enough seats to govern by itself, two or more parties may negotiate an agreement to work together. This is called a coalition when they formally join together in government. Other support arrangements are possible too. What is our MMP voting system?What happens in a general election?
That is one reason the party vote matters so much: it influences not just which parties have MPs, but also which combinations of parties may be able to form a government.
4. What actually happens when you go to vote?
The 2026 general election is on Saturday 7 November 2026. Advance voting starts on Monday 26 October. You don't have to wait until election day to cast your vote. What happens in a general election?Vote in a general election or referendum
Step 1: Check that you're enrolled
You need to be enrolled to vote. Check your details or enrol through the official Vote NZ website.
Step 2: Go to a voting place
You can vote at an available voting place, such as a school or community centre. You can vote in advance or on election day. New Zealand does not offer ordinary online voting from within the country.
Step 3: Fill in your voting paper
Your paper will show the party choices and the candidates for your electorate. Follow the instructions and make one choice in each section.
Step 4: Submit your vote
Once you've marked your choices, follow the instructions from the voting staff. Your vote is secret.
You don't need to know all the political terminology before you go. If you need help understanding the voting paper, staff can help with the process. You can also ask a support person to help you read or mark your paper, while the choices remain yours. Vote in a general election or referendum
5. How should you think about your two choices?
You don't need to make both decisions in exactly the same way. Here are two useful questions to consider.
For your party vote
“Which party's plans, priorities and approach to running the country best match what I want?”
For your electorate vote
“Which local candidate do I want representing people in my area in Parliament?”
When comparing parties or candidates, you might consider:
- Cost of living: What do they propose about housing, food costs, wages and taxes?
- Health and education: What changes do they want to make, and how would they pay for them?
- Climate and the environment: What actions do they propose?
- Public services and the economy: What do they want the government to do, and what might their plans cost?
- Trust and follow-through: What have they said or done, and how clearly do they explain their plans?
You don't have to agree with every policy a party proposes. You can weigh the issues that matter most to you and look at what each party or candidate has actually committed to doing.
6. A few political terms in everyday language
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| MP | A Member of Parliament — someone elected to represent people in Parliament. |
| Electorate | The local area whose voters choose an electorate MP. |
| MMP | The system that combines local electorate MPs with seats allocated according to party votes. |
| Coalition | Two or more parties joining together to form a government. |
| Opposition | Parties that aren't part of the government and scrutinise its decisions. |
| Manifesto | A party's published plans and promises for the election. |
| Majority | More than half. In a 120-seat Parliament, 61 seats is a majority. |
The main thing to remember
Your party vote helps shape Parliament as a whole, while your electorate vote chooses your local representative. They are separate choices because those are two different jobs.
You can learn about the system without having decided which party or candidate to support. A sensible next step is to check the official voting information, then compare parties' policies and your local candidates at your own pace.
Useful official resources:
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Captured 16 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account