The incumbent Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, has won a second term in office following elections which held last Saturday. Ms Ardern’s victory at the poll has been widely described as the biggest election victory for her centre-left Labour Party in many decades. 

What The Numbers Say

PM Ardern’s Labour Party won by a 49.1% margin while the opposition centre-right National Party won by 26.8% in Saturday’s poll. With this win, Labour is now on track to win 64 seats in the country’s unicameral parliament – three more than the 61 needed to form a government, while the National party is projected to secure 35 seats in the 120-seat assembly. Her landslide victory at the polls and increased popularity has been linked to her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand and also her policy action of banning guns after the Christchurch mass shooting which left over 49 people dead. 

“It’s an historic MMP result, and that is down to one thing: COVID-19. Labour and Ardern made the right calls. Comparative analysis of COVID responses internationally shows it’s not just a matter of what you do, it’s a matter of whether you do it soon enough. Labour did that and have been rewarded electorally” says Jack Vowles, Professor of Political Science, Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington

What Next for New Zealand?

PM Ardern has said she would take two to three weeks to officially form a government, after talks with potential coalition partners including the Green Party which secured 8% of votes at the polls. This move comes despite the fact that the Labour Party could decide to rule alone. She has signalled that new talent coming into the Labour caucus included GPs, a midwife and an infectious disease expert. 

New Zealand also voted on Saturday in referendums to legalise euthanasia and recreational marijuana, outcomes will be announced on October 30.