How MMP works in New Zealand: party vote, electorate vote and 120 seats
A clear explanation of New Zealand's MMP voting system: your two votes, how seats are shared out, list MPs, the 5% threshold, overhang and why coalitions are normal.
In this guide
New Zealand has used MMP, mixed member proportional representation, since 1996. Its core idea is simple: the share of seats a party gets in Parliament should match its share of the party vote. Win 30% of the party vote, get about 30% of the seats.
This guide explains how that works, from your two votes to the final 120 seats.
Quick answer
- You get two votes: a party vote and an electorate vote.
- The party vote decides how many seats each party gets in total.
- The electorate vote elects a local MP in each of the 71 electorates.
- List seats top up each party so its total matches its party vote.
- Parties need 5% of the party vote or one electorate to share in the seats.
- If a party wins more electorates than its party vote entitles it to, it keeps them, and Parliament grows (overhang).
Your two votes
| Party vote | Electorate vote | |
|---|---|---|
| You vote for | A party | A local candidate |
| It decides | Each party's total number of seats | Who represents your electorate |
| Number of seats | All 120, shared proportionally | 71 electorate seats |
| Most important for | Who forms the government | Local representation |
You can split your votes, for example giving your party vote to one party and your electorate vote to another party's candidate. Many people do.
How 120 seats are shared out
Here's the process after the votes are counted, step by step.
- Find the qualifying parties. Only parties with at least 5% of the party vote, or at least one electorate seat, take part.
- Share out 120 seats by party vote. The Sainte-Laguë formula divides the 120 seats among qualifying parties in proportion to their party votes. See our worked example.
- Count each party's electorate wins. These MPs are elected no matter what.
- Top up with list MPs. Each party's list seats are its total entitlement minus the electorates it won. List seats go to candidates in the order they appear on the party's list, skipping anyone already elected in an electorate.
- Add overhang if needed. If a party won more electorates than its entitlement, it keeps the extra seats, and Parliament is bigger than 120 until the next election.
A real example: 2023
| Party | Party vote | Total seats | Electorate seats | List seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 38.1% | 48 | 43 | 5 |
| Labour | 26.9% | 34 | 17 | 17 |
| Green | 11.6% | 15 | 3 | 12 |
| ACT | 8.6% | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| NZ First | 6.1% | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Te Pāti Māori | 3.1% | 6 | 6 | 0 |
National won 43 electorates but its party vote entitled it to 48 seats, so it got five list MPs. NZ First won no electorates, so all eight of its MPs came from its list. Te Pāti Māori won six electorates, two more than its party vote entitled it to, which created two overhang seats. Parliament had 122 seats.
The 2023 Parliament: 122 seats
- National
- Labour
- Green
- ACT
- NZ First
- Te Pāti Māori / Māori Party
Why the party vote matters most
Under MMP, winning lots of electorates doesn't give a party extra seats overall, because list seats just fill the gap. So the party vote decides who can form a government. The electorate vote matters for:
- choosing your local MP,
- letting a small party into Parliament if it wins an electorate below 5%, and
- causing overhang if a party wins more electorates than its party vote justifies.
Thresholds, lifeboats and wasted votes
The 5% threshold keeps very small parties out unless they win an electorate. That has two effects worth knowing:
- A party just under 5% with no electorate gets no seats at all. In 2008, NZ First won 4.07% of the party vote and no seats.
- A party that wins one electorate gets its full proportional share even below 5%. In 2008, ACT won 3.65% plus the Epsom electorate and got five seats.
Read the 5% threshold explained.
Why MMP usually means coalitions
Because seats follow the party vote, it's rare for one party to win more than half the seats. Since 1996, that's only happened once: Labour in 2020, with 65 of 120. Usually parties have to work together, either in a formal coalition or with confidence and supply agreements. Read how governments form.
Seats won at every MMP election, 1996 to 2023
- National
- Labour
- Green
- ACT
- NZ First
- Te Pāti Māori / Māori Party
- Other parties
How MMP came about
New Zealand used first past the post (FPP) until 1993. After two elections where the party with the most votes didn't win the most seats, a Royal Commission recommended MMP in 1986, and voters chose it in referendums in 1992 and 1993. In 2011, they voted to keep it. Read from FPP to MMP.
Questions and answers
How does MMP work in simple terms?
You get two votes. The party vote decides how many of the 120 seats each party gets. The electorate vote picks your local MP. List MPs top each party up to its fair share.
Which vote is more important, the party vote or electorate vote?
The party vote, because it decides each party's total seats and therefore who can form a government.
What is a list MP?
An MP elected from a party's ranked list rather than an electorate. List MPs make each party's total match its party vote.
Why does Parliament sometimes have more than 120 MPs?
Because of overhang. If a party wins more electorates than its party vote entitles it to, it keeps them, and Parliament grows. In 2023 Parliament had 122 seats.
When did New Zealand start using MMP?
At the 1996 general election, after a binding referendum in 1993.
Sources
- Electoral Commission: MMP rules.
- Te Ara: parties in Parliament 1999–2023.
- 2023 New Zealand general election: 2023 seats.
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
How seats are calculated: the Sainte-Laguë method, with a worked example
New Zealand turns party votes into seats with the Sainte-Laguë formula. Here's how it works, step by step, with a simple worked example and the real 2023 numbers.
The 5% threshold and the electorate "lifeboat" explained
Why a party on 4.9% can get no seats while one on 1% gets in. How New Zealand's 5% threshold and one-electorate rule work, with real examples from past elections.
Overhang seats explained: why Parliament can have more than 120 MPs
New Zealand's Parliament is meant to have 120 seats, but in 2023 it had 122, then 123. Here's how overhang works, every time it's happened, and why it moves the majority line.