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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In New Zealand’s MMP system, each voter gets two separate votes: the party vote helps determine how many seats a party gets in Parliament, while the electorate vote selects the local candidate who will represent the voter’s electorate. You can vote for a party and a candidate from different parties.
What each vote is for
| Party vote | Electorate vote |
|---|---|
| You choose a political party. | You choose a candidate standing in your electorate. |
| It largely determines the party’s total number of seats in Parliament. | It determines which candidate wins the electorate seat. |
| A qualifying party’s electorate winners take seats first; list candidates fill any remaining seats in its entitlement. | The candidate with more votes than the other electorate candidates wins, even without a majority. |
The Electoral Commission describes the party vote as largely deciding each party’s total seats. The two votes are independent choices: voting for a party does not require voting for that party’s local candidate.
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How the votes determine who becomes an MP
The electorate vote picks local MPs
Each electorate elects one MP. The candidate with the most electorate votes wins that seat; they do not need to receive more than half of all votes cast in the electorate.
The party vote sets parties’ overall representation
For parties that qualify for seats, the party-vote share is used to calculate their proportional entitlement. New Zealand uses the Sainte-Laguë formula for this allocation. Electorate winners count toward a party’s entitlement first, and candidates from its ranked party list fill any remaining seats.
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In an Electoral Commission illustration, a party with 30% of the party vote receives about 36 of 120 seats. If 20 of its candidates win electorate seats, those MPs take 20 of the seats and 16 list candidates fill the balance. This is an explanatory example, not a forecast for an election.
When a party qualifies for seats
A party qualifies for seats if it receives at least 5% of the nationwide party vote or wins at least one electorate seat. The electorate-seat rule is an exception to the 5% threshold, so a party below 5% is not automatically shut out of Parliament.
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The Electoral Commission’s 2012 review gives historical examples from the 2008 election: the Greens received 6.7% of the party vote and won 9 of 122 seats; ACT received 3.6% and won an electorate, qualifying for 5 seats; New Zealand First received 4.1% and won no electorate, so it received no seats. These figures describe the 2008 election, not current party results.
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If a party wins more electorate seats than its party-vote entitlement would normally provide, it keeps those electorate seats. The extra seats are called an overhang, and Parliament grows by that amount for the term rather than removing an electorate winner.
After the 2023 General Election, the Electoral Commission described the current Parliament as having 123 MPs because of an overhang. That is an election-specific count, not a fixed Parliament size.
Can the two votes be treated differently when counting?
In a narrow eligibility case, the Electoral Commission says an electorate vote cast for an electorate where the voter is not eligible is disallowed, while the party vote is still counted as “Party Vote Only.” This does not change the ordinary rule that the two votes are separate choices.
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Explore how party-vote totals affect seats
The Electoral Commission’s seat-allocation calculator, updated in September 2026, lets readers explore how party-vote totals and assumed electorate wins interact. It is a scenario calculator, not a prediction of election results.
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