Final Results
The final results have just gone live.We now have a confirmed National-led Government
There are three changes:
Party Vote
National loses one list seat to the Greens, as often happens with special votes. Commiserations to Aaron Gilmore (who only made it by around 32 votes last time) who drops out, and congratulations to new Green MP Mojo Mathers, NZ’s first deaf MP.
If National has any vacancies during the term, those in waiting on the list are Aaron Gilmore, Paul Quinn and Paul Foster-Bell. Whether any would take up a list vacancy is likely to depend on when it occurs and what they are doing at the time.
This also allows National to go ahead and announce a Ministry, and be sworn in. If they had lost two list seats on specials, then the Maori Party would hold the balance of power. But National can pass laws 61-60 with support from ACT and united Future only. This means the Maori Party has a choice between opposition or getting some gains and influence through a confidence and supply agreement. As National only wants them, not needs them, their negotiating power is somewhat reduced. However worth remembering that Labour never gave the Maori Party anything beyond being last cab off the rank, choosing in 2005 to go with NZ First and United Future in preference to Maori and Greens.
Waitakere
Carmel Sepuloni has beaten Paula Bennett by 11 votes. That is probably close enough for a judicial recount, but based on this count congratulations go to Carmel who would have been out of Parliament otherwise. Commiserations to Paula who will of course remain an MP and Minister, but will miss her beloved seat.
The bigger loser is Raymond Huo, who loses his list place, as Sepuloni makes it back. While not a huge contributor to Labour within Parliament, I understand he is a relatively large fund-raiser for Labour.
Christchurch Central
Nicky Wagner has emerged with a 45 vote majority. As Brendon Burns is not high up enough on the list, he is out of Parliament entirely. Hence he may consider a judicial recount. Note a judicial recount is relatively quick and inexpensive compared to an electoral petition which costs so much you need to have someone like Owen Glenn pay for it 🙂
If Burns had won, then Labour would have also lost Rajen Prasad. I think Labour were hoping Brendon would win.
It is no small thing that National now holds Auckland Central and Christchurch Central. Neither are swing seats. They are heartland Labour. Auckland Central has been held by Labour (and Alliance for one term) since Labour’s 1st election outing in 1919. That 89 year run ended in 2008.
Christchurch Central has been much the same. It was created in 1946 and for 65 years has only been held by Labour. That loss will hurt.
Demographics
The demographics for the 50th Parliament are now the following:
- Gender – 67% male, 33% female (this is just one fewer woman MP than in 2008 as the two new MPs are both women)
- Ethnicity – European 74%, Maori 17%, Pacific 6%, Asian 3%
- Age – 39% 50s, 31% 40s, 16% 60s, 12% 30s, 2% 20s, 1% 70s
- Area – 35% Auckland, 24% rural/town, 18% provincial city, 13% Wellington, 11% Christchurch
- Island – 75% North, 25% South
I’ve also looked at how many MPs entered in each Parliament
- 39th (1978) – 1
- 40th (1981) – 1
- 41st (1984) – 4
- 42nd (1987) – 3
- 43rd (1990) – 4
- 44th (1993) – 5
- 45th (1996) – 4
- 46th (1999) – 7
- 47th (2002) – 6
- 48th (2005) – 24
- 49th (2008) – 35
- 50th (2011) – 27
So 86 of the 121 MPs entered in 2005 or later. Note those who enter part-way through a term are included in each Parliament’s total. Only 22 of 121 MPs entered before 1999.
OTHERS
Pleased to see Nikki Kaye increase her majority to 717. That’s a huge endorsement of her work in that seat considering in 2008 she was against Judith Tizard and in 2011 against Jacinda Ardern, who is already being talked about as a future Labour deputy leader.
Also congrats to Kate Wilkinson whose win in Waimakariri against Clayton Cosgrove has been confirmed.