The 2023 New Zealand general election was held on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th Parliament of New Zealand. Voters elected 121 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Representatives under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, with 71 members elected from single-member electorates and the remaining members elected from closed party lists. Of the 72 electorates, only 71 seats were filled, with the remaining electorate MP to be determined in the 2023 Port Waikato by-election. The electorate MP election for Port Waikato was cancelled due to the death of one of the candidates. One overhang seat was won on election day by the Māori Party, so the number of seats was increased by one. There will be 122 members of parliament once the by-election has been held.
The incumbent centre-left Labour Party, led by Chris Hipkins, sought to win a third term for the Sixth Labour Government. However, on preliminary results, they were defeated in a landslide, with the centre-right National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, becoming the largest party in the new parliament.
The election saw the worst defeat of a sitting government in New Zealand since the introduction of the MMP voting system in 1996, with Labour going from having 65 seats in the first-ever majority government under MMP to winning just 34 seats, Labour's worst performance since 2014. Labour faced a 17-point swing against it, whilst National improved its party vote share by 11 percentage points. The Green and ACT parties and Te Pāti Maori all increased their vote share, while New Zealand First gained enough votes to return to parliament after being ousted in the 2020 election.
National made gains in many Auckland electorates that were once considered to be safe Labour seats, such as Mount Roskill and New Lynn, whilst also coming close to winning Jacinda Ardern's former seat of Mount Albert after the left vote was split between Labour and the Greens. The Greens won three electorates, gaining Rongotai and Wellington Central from Labour, while ACT won two electorates, gaining Tāmaki from National. Te Pāti Māori claimed three Māori seats from Labour, which saw 21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke become the youngest MP elected in 170 years and, in the process, unseated incumbent foreign affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta.
Prime Minister Hipkins conceded on election night, paving the way for the Sixth National Government of New Zealand under Prime Minister-designate Luxon. National will require support from the ACT Party to form and maintain a government, and possibly New Zealand First, depending on the outcome of the special votes and the result of the Port Waikato by-election.
Background
The previous general election held on 17 October 2020 resulted in a majority for the Labour Party, winning 65 seats, allowing them to continue the Sixth Labour Government unrestricted in the 53rd Parliament. Their coalition partner from the 52nd Parliament, New Zealand First, did not receive enough votes to pass the five percent threshold or win in an electorate, removing them from Parliament. Confidence and supply partner the Green Party received 10 seats, up two, becoming the first minor party ever to increase their share of the vote following a term in government. In the opposition, the National Party lost 23 seats, giving them a total of 33, and ACT New Zealand went from one seat to ten. Te Pāti Māori won a Māori electorate and gained an additional list seat, returning to Parliament after a one-term absence, having lost all seats in the 2017 election.
In the 2022 Tauranga by-election, National retained the marginal seat with a large swing away from Labour. In the 2022 Hamilton West by-election, National gained the seat from Labour.