In this guide
The 2026 general election is New Zealand's 55th. The first was held in 1853, when a few thousand property-owning men elected 37 representatives. In between, New Zealand became one of the first places in the world where all men, and then all women, could vote, and it later rebuilt its whole voting system through referendums.
Here's the story in brief.
Quick answer
- 1853: first general election, for 37 seats.
- 1867: four Māori seats created.
- 1879: all adult men can vote.
- 1893: women win the vote, a world first for a self-governing country.
- 1951: the upper house is abolished.
- 1974: voting age lowered to 18.
- 1996: the first MMP election.
- 2026: the 55th Parliament is elected on 7 November.
Milestones in the vote
- 1853First general election: 37 seats, men with property only.
- 1867Four Māori seats created.
- 1870Secret ballot introduced.
- 1879Property test dropped, so all adult men can vote; terms cut from five years to three.
- 1893Women win the vote, a world first for a self-governing country.
- 1919Women can stand for Parliament.
- 1933Elizabeth McCombs becomes the first woman MP.
- 1951Upper house abolished.
- 1974Voting age lowered to 18.
- 1993Referendum chooses MMP.
- 1996First MMP election.
1853 to 1879: a colonial Parliament
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed in Britain, set up an elected House of Representatives. The first general election was held over several months in 1853 for 37 seats, and Parliament first met in Auckland in 1854. It moved to Wellington in 1865.
To vote, you had to be a man aged 21 or over, a British subject, and own or rent property above a set value. Because most Māori land was held communally rather than individually, very few Māori men qualified.
- 1867: the Maori Representation Act created four Māori seats and gave all Māori men aged 21 and over the vote in them. See Māori electorates explained.
- 1870: the secret ballot was introduced. Before that, people voted publicly by a show of hands or by declaring their choice.
- 1879: the property test was dropped for European men, so all adult men could vote. Parliamentary terms were cut from five years to three, which they remain today.
1880s to 1890s: one person, one vote
- 1889: plural voting, where property owners could vote in more than one electorate, was abolished.
- 1890: the Liberals won power, and New Zealand's first organised political party governed until 1912.
- 1893: after years of petitions led by campaigners including Kate Sheppard, the Electoral Act 1893 gave all women the vote. Read how women won the vote.
1900s to 1980s: parties and a two-party system
The 20th century was dominated by first past the post (FPP) and, from the 1930s, two big parties.
- 1919: women could stand for Parliament.
- 1933: Elizabeth McCombs became the first woman MP, winning a by-election in Lyttelton.
- 1935: the first Labour government was elected.
- 1936: the National Party was formed.
- 1951: the appointed upper house, the Legislative Council, was abolished. Parliament has had one chamber ever since.
- 1969: the voting age was lowered to 20.
- 1974: the voting age was lowered to 18.
Under FPP, Labour and National took turns in government. But the system produced odd results. In 1978 and 1981, Labour won more votes nationwide than National but fewer seats. Third parties like Social Credit won large shares of the vote, about a fifth in 1981, but only one or two seats.
1984 to 1996: the road to MMP
- 1984: Prime Minister Robert Muldoon called a snap election. Turnout reached 93.7% of enrolled voters, and Labour won.
- 1986: the Royal Commission on the Electoral System recommended MMP.
- 1992: in an indicative referendum, 84.7% voted for change, and MMP was the most popular option.
- 1993: in a binding referendum held with the general election, 53.9% chose MMP over FPP.
- 1996: the first MMP election produced a Parliament of 120 seats and a coalition government.
Read the full story in from FPP to MMP.
1996 to today: the MMP era
MMP changed politics. Coalitions became normal, smaller parties won seats, and Parliament became more diverse. Only one party, Labour in 2020, has won an outright majority under MMP.
Seats won at every MMP election, 1996 to 2023
- National
- Labour
- Green
- ACT
- NZ First
- Te Pāti Māori / Māori Party
- Other parties
- 2011: voters chose to keep MMP in a referendum.
- 2020: advance voting reached a record of about two in three voters.
- 2023: special votes changed the result, and overhang made a 122-seat Parliament.
- 2026: enrolment closes before advance voting for the first time, and election day enrolment ends.
See every MMP result.
Turnout over time
Turnout has fallen from the very high levels of the 1980s, with a low of 74.2% in 2011, then recovered to 82.2% in 2020 before dropping to 78.2% in 2023. Read voter turnout in New Zealand.
Turnout of enrolled voters, 1984 to 2023
- 198493.7%
- 198789.1%
- 199085.2%
- 199385.2%
- 199688.3%
- 199984.1%
- 200277.0%
- 200580.9%
- 200879.5%
- 201174.2%
- 201477.9%
- 201779.8%
- 202082.2%
- 202378.2%
Questions and answers
When was New Zealand's first election?
- The first general election was held over several months that year for 37 seats, and Parliament first met in Auckland in 1854.
When did all men get the vote in New Zealand?
Māori men got the vote in the Māori seats in 1867. The property qualification for other men was removed in 1879.
When did women get the vote in New Zealand?
In 1893, making New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world where all women could vote in national elections.
When did New Zealand switch to MMP?
The first MMP election was in 1996, after a binding referendum in 1993.
How many elections has New Zealand had?
The 2026 general election elects the 55th Parliament.
Sources
- NZHistory: New Zealand's electoral history.
- Te Ara: elections and the electoral system.
- Electoral Commission: 1853–2017 general elections.
This guide is general information about New Zealand elections, checked against the sources linked above on 3 November 2026. For anything about your own enrolment or vote, check vote.nz or call the Electoral Commission on 0800 36 76 56.
Keep reading
1893: how New Zealand women won the vote
In 1893 New Zealand became the first self-governing country where all women could vote. The petitions, the campaigners, the close votes in Parliament, and the first election.
From FPP to MMP: the referendums of 1992, 1993 and 2011
Why New Zealand ditched first past the post: the "wrong winner" elections, the Royal Commission, the 1992 and 1993 referendums, and the 2011 vote to keep MMP.
The Māori electorates explained: seven seats, the Māori roll and 160 years of history
What the Māori electorates are, how the Māori roll and electoral option work, the seven seats in 2026, and how these seats have shaped results from 1867 to the 2023 overhang.