Reuters
New Zealand's Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon casts his vote in the general election. [Photo Credit: Reuters]
New Zealand votes in a general election on November 7 with opinion polls pointing to another close contest between the ruling centre-right National-led coalition and opposition parties, the largest of which is the centre-left Labour Party.
Analysts say smaller parties could again determine who forms the next government, as they did after the 2023 election.
Below are the key facts on the parties, and their leaders, who may form the next government.
Current Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, 56, is seeking a second term. First elected to parliament in 2020 as the MP for the Auckland electorate of Botany, Luxon became National leader the following year.
A former chief executive of Air New Zealand, he led National to victory in the 2023 election on a platform of sound economic management.
His leadership has faced unusual turbulence in the past year: Luxon survived two confidence votes by National MPs, in April and August 2026, with the latter triggered by a challenge from then-defence minister Chris Penk, amid weak polling, economic pressure and tensions within his three-party coalition.
The party’s platform this time around also focuses on the economy, with a target of returning to a budget surplus and the expansion of the national KiwiSaver pension scheme.
