# 1993 New Zealand general election

The 1993 New Zealand general election was held on 6 November 1993 to determine the composition of the 44th New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 99 members to the House of Representatives, up from 97 members at the 1990 election. The election was held concurrently with an electoral reform referendum to replace the first-past-the-post system, with all members elected from single-member electorates, with mixed-member proportional representation. It saw the governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, win a second term in office, despite a major swing away from National in both seats and votes, and the carrying of the referendum by 53.9% to 46.1%.
Having broken electoral campaign promises and embarked on supply-side economics and wide-sweeping cuts during his first term, Bolger led the most unpopular government since the Great Depression. The neoliberal actions of Ruth Richardson, his Minister of Finance, were termed Ruthanasia by the media, and her Mother of all Budgets in 1991 caused huge protests. By September 1991, support for National had plummeted to a hitherto unprecedented polling low of 22%. Mike Moore, ousted by Bolger in a landslide just three years before, attacked National's caucus as dangerous right-wing extremists, and enjoyed considerable personal popularity. While the high unemployment Ruthanasia had caused had recovered somewhat by 1993, Bolger's approval ratings remained dire against Moore up until election day.
With a vote difference of just 7,133 between the two major parties, the election was one of the closest in New Zealand history. Bolger's 17-seat majority gained in 1990 was pared back to a bare majority of one seat. The Labour Party, led by former Prime Minister Mike Moore, enjoyed a 16-seat rise and almost won outright. The two smaller parties - Winston Peters' New Zealand First, which he formed after leaving National over conflict with their economic policy, and Jim Anderton's Alliance of parties to the left of Labour - both outperformed expectations and won significant shares of the vote. However, the first-past-the-post system kept them from gaining more than two seats each.
If MMP had been in use, the left-wing bloc of Labour and the Alliance – having secured a larger share of the vote than National or New Zealand First – would likely have formed a government. This was the last time prior to the 2020 election where a party won an absolute majority of seats.

## Background

Before the election, the National Party governed with 64 seats, while the opposition Labour Party held only 29. The 1990 election had been a major victory for the National Party, with the unpopular Fourth Labour Government being decisively defeated. The Labour Party had become unpopular for its ongoing economic reforms, nicknamed Rogernomics after Minister of Finance Roger Douglas, which were based around liberalisation, privatisation, and the removal of tariffs and subsidies. The National Party divided as to the merits of the reforms, with conservatives generally opposed and libertarians generally in favour. The party had fought the 1990 election saying that the Labour government's program was too radical, and was being carried out without any thought of the social consequences – Jim Bolger spoke about "the Decent Society", promising a return to a more moderate and balanced platform.
Once in government, however, the key Minister of Finance role was taken not by a moderate but by Ruth Richardson, who wished to expand, not end, the economic reforms. Upon gaining power, Richardson intensified the deregulation, creating an portfolio of neoliberal policies popularly known as Ruthanasia. Richardson's "Mother of all Budgets", released in 1991, slashed available unemployment, sickness and welfare benefits. The families benefit by $25.00 to $27.00, unemployment benefit was cut by $14.00 a week, sickness benefit by $27.04. Universal payments for family benefits were completely abolished, and user pay schemes were introduced in a libertarian fashion. The Employment Contracts Act sought to weaken trade unions, by meaning employees had to have individual contracts or be on a single-employer collective agreement. Richardson also ended free tertiary education altogether, after the Fourth Labour Government had ended bursaries.
These policies, a steep departure even from Rogernomics, led to a major backlash in multiple aspects of society, both on the left and the right. Students and trade unionists led protests and marches in Wellington and Auckland against university cuts and the Employment Contracts Bill. Many of the voters who had felt betrayed by Labour's reforms now felt betrayed by the National Party as well. The Mother of all Budgets not only caused widespread public contempt for the National Party but also wreaked havoc internally. The budget was lamented by the conservative wing of the National Party; former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon resigned from his Tamaki electorate in protest of Richardson's policies, triggering a by-election. Polling declined massively for National, and Mike Moore shot up in approval ratings while attacking National's caucus as right-wing extremists. According to an episode of Frontline on TVNZ 1 that aired less than two weeks before the election, Bolger led the most unpopular government since the Great Depression. By September 1991, support for National had plummeted to a hitherto unprecedented polling low of 22%.
The Alliance, the largest "third party", was a broad coalition of five smaller groups – the NewLabour Party (a Labour splinter), the Democrats (a social credit party), the Greens (an environmentalist party), Mana Motuhake (a Māori party), and the Liberal Party (a National splinter). The Alliance held three seats in Parliament – one belonged to Jim Anderton, who had been re-elected under a NewLabour banner in the seat he had formerly held for Labour, while the other two belonged to the National MPs who formed the Liberal Party. In its first electoral test, the 1992 by-election in Tamaki, the Alliance had performed well, taking second place. Another smaller group was New Zealand First, a party established by former National MP Winston Peters. Peters had broken with his party after a number of policy disputes with its leadership, and resigned from parliament to contest his seat as an independent. After being overwhelmingly re-elected, Peters established New Zealand First to promote his views. Peters was the party's sole MP.
Another consequence of dissatisfaction with both major parties was the referendum conducted alongside the 1993 election. The culmination of the larger decade-long New Zealand electoral reform process, the referendum was held following the September 1992 indicative referendum, which saw 85% of voters voting for change from the existing First Past The Post (FPP) system, and 70% choosing the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) as its preferred replacement: a proportional system which would make it easier for smaller parties to win seats. It asked voters to choose whether to keep the existing FPP system or change to MMP, with 53.9% of voters opting to change to MMP.
While National and Labour usually stood candidates in every seat, National was one candidate short as their Southern Maori candidate apparently did not apply in time.

### MPs retiring in 1993

Four MPs, including three National MPs and one Labour MP, intended to retire at the end of the 43rd Parliament.
| Party | Name | Electorate |
| National | Jeff Grant | Awarua |
| National | Jeff Whittaker | Hastings |
| National | Gail McIntosh | Lyttlelton |
| Labour | Sonja Davies | Pencarrow |

## The election

The election was held on 6 November. 2,321,664 people were registered to vote, and 85.2% turned out. This turnout was almost exactly the same as for the previous election, although slightly less than what would be seen for the following one.

## Summary of results

With a vote difference of just 7,133 between the two major parties, the election was one of the closest in New Zealand history. Preliminary results based on election night counts saw the country facing its first hung parliament since 1931, with no party gaining the 50 seats required for a majority. The National Party won 49 seats, a drop of 15 from before the election, and Labour had won 46 seats, with the balance of power held with the Alliance and New Zealand First, which won two seats each. This led to Jim Bolger saying on public television, "Bugger the pollsters", as polls had predicted a comfortable National victory. Bolger reacted to the election results by giving a conciliatory speech, while Labour leader Mike Moore delivered a speech later described by political scientist Jack Vowles as "damaging" and "more appropriate for a decisive Labour win than a narrow defeat."
On election night result with the two major parties tied, the Governor-General Dame Catherine Tizard asked her predecessor Sir David Beattie to form a committee, along with three retired appeal court judges, to decide whom to appoint as prime minister. However National won one more seat and was returned to power when the official count saw the seat of Waitaki swing from Labour to National, giving National 50 seats and Labour 45 seats. Labour's Sir Peter Tapsell agreed to become speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (so that National would not lose a vote in the house). Hence National had a majority of one seat.
The 1993–1996 parliamentary term would see a number of defections from both major parties, meaning that National would eventually be forced to make alliances to retain power.

## Detailed results
### Party totals

Summary of the 6 November 1993 New Zealand House of Representatives election results :
| Party | Party | Votes | % of votes | % of votes | Seats | Seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | change | total | change |
| | National | 673,892 | 35.05 | -12.78 | 50 | -17 |
| | Labour | 666,759 | 34.68 | -0.46 | 45 | +16 |
| | Alliance | 350,064 | 18.21 | +3.93$^a$ | 2 | +1$^b$ |
| | NZ First | 161,481 | 8.40 | +8.4 | 2 | +2 |
| | Christian Heritage | 38,749 | 2.02 | +1.49 | 0 | – |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | 11,706 | 0.61 | +0.06 | 0 | – |
| | Natural Law | 6,056 | 0.31 | +0.31 | 0 | – |
| | Mana Māori | 3,342 | 0.17 | +0.17 | 0 | – |
| | minor parties and independents | 10,747 | 0.56 | +0.34 | 0 | – |
| total votes | total votes | 1,922,796 | 100.00 | | 99 | +2 |
| total registered electors | total registered electors | 2,321,664 | | | | |
| turnout | turnout | 82.82% | 82.82% | 82.82% | 82.82% | 82.82% |
$^a$ Increase over Alliance's constituent member parties' (Greens, NewLabour, Democrats and Mana Motuhake) combined vote share in 1990. $^b$ Increase of one over Alliance's constituent party, NewLabour's result in 1990.

### Votes summary

Popular Vote
National
35.05%
Labour
34.68%
Alliance
18.21%
NZ First
8.40%
Christian Heritage
2.02%
Others
1.65% :
Parliament seats
National
50.50%
Labour
45.45%
Alliance
2.02%
NZ First
2.02% :

### Electorate results

The table below shows the results of the 1993 general election by electorate:
Key
National  Labour  Alliance  NZ First  Independent
Electorate results for the 1993 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Albany | | Don McKinnon | Don McKinnon | Don McKinnon | 3,651 | Jill Jeffs |
| Auckland Central | | Richard Prebble | | Sandra Lee | 1,291 | Richard Prebble |
| Avon | | Larry Sutherland | Larry Sutherland | Larry Sutherland | 5,643 | Marie Venning |
| Awarua | | Jeff Grant | | Eric Roy | 2,236 | Olivia Scaletti-Longley |
| Birkenhead | | Ian Revell | Ian Revell | Ian Revell | 104 | Ann Hartley |
| Christchurch Central | | Lianne Dalziel | Lianne Dalziel | Lianne Dalziel | 6,189 | Andrew Rowe |
| Christchurch North | | Mike Moore | Mike Moore | Mike Moore | 6,024 | Lee Morgan |
| Clutha | | Robin Gray | Robin Gray | Robin Gray | 4,117 | Jeff Buchanan |
| Dunedin North | | Pete Hodgson | Pete Hodgson | Pete Hodgson | 3,794 | Hugh Perkins |
| Dunedin West | | Clive Matthewson | Clive Matthewson | Clive Matthewson | 4,477 | Ollie Turner |
| East Coast Bays | | Murray McCully | Murray McCully | Murray McCully | 4,516 | Heather-Anne McConachy |
| Eastern Bay of Plenty | New electorate | New electorate | | Tony Ryall | 806 | Diane Collins |
| Eastern Hutt | | Paul Swain | Paul Swain | Paul Swain | 4,718 | Peter MacMillan |
| Eden | | Christine Fletcher | Christine Fletcher | Christine Fletcher | 3,394 | Verna Smith |
| Far North | New electorate | New electorate | | John Carter | 3,425 | Maryanne Baker |
| Fendalton | | Philip Burdon | Philip Burdon | Philip Burdon | 4,982 | Tony Day |
| Franklin | New electorate | New electorate | | Bill Birch | 3,543 | Judy Bischoff |
| Gisborne | | Wayne Kimber | | Janet Mackey | 1,068 | Wayne Kimber |
| Glenfield | | Peter Hilt | Peter Hilt | Peter Hilt | 1,983 | Ann Batten |
| Hamilton East | | Tony Steel | | Dianne Yates | 80 | Tony Steel |
| Hamilton West | | Grant Thomas | | Martin Gallagher | 449 | Grant Thomas |
| Hastings | | Jeff Whittaker | | Rick Barker | 2,571 | Cynthia Bowers |
| Hauraki | New electorate | New electorate | | Warren Kyd | 1,870 | Jeanette Fitzsimons |
| Hawkes Bay | | Michael Laws | Michael Laws | Michael Laws | 3,143 | Peter Reynolds |
| Henderson | New electorate | New electorate | | Jack Elder | 2,130 | David Jorgensen |
| Heretaunga | | Peter McCardle | Peter McCardle | Peter McCardle | 832 | Heather Simpson |
| Hobson | | Ross Meurant | Ross Meurant | Ross Meurant | 2,697 | Frank Grover |
| Horowhenua | | Hamish Hancock | | Judy Keall | 2,347 | Hamish Hancock |
| Howick | New electorate | New electorate | | Trevor Rogers | 5,754 | James Clarke |
| Invercargill | | Rob Munro | | Mark Peck | 1,174 | Rob Munro |
| Island Bay | | Elizabeth Tennet | Elizabeth Tennet | Elizabeth Tennet | 5,422 | Chris Shields |
| Kaimai | | Robert Anderson | Robert Anderson | Robert Anderson | 372 | Peter Brown |
| Kaipara | | Lockwood Smith | Lockwood Smith | Lockwood Smith | 2,958 | Rosalie Steward |
| Kapiti | | Roger Sowry | Roger Sowry | Roger Sowry | 1,038 | Rob Calder |
| King Country | | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | 4,506 | Murray Simpson |
| Lyttelton | | Gail McIntosh | | Ruth Dyson | 677 | David Carter |
| Manawatu | | Hamish MacIntyre | | Jill White | 164 | Gray Baldwin |
| Māngere | | David Lange | David Lange | David Lange | 5,958 | Len Richards |
| Manurewa | | George Hawkins | George Hawkins | George Hawkins | 4,014 | Mark Chalmers |
| Marlborough | | Doug Kidd | Doug Kidd | Doug Kidd | 2,548 | Ron Howard |
| Matakana | New electorate | New electorate | | Graeme Lee | 893 | John Neill |
| Matamata | | John Luxton | John Luxton | John Luxton | 5,977 | John Pemberton |
| Miramar | | Graeme Reeves | | Annette King | 2,595 | Graeme Reeves |
| Mount Albert | | Helen Clark | Helen Clark | Helen Clark | 4,656 | Vanessa Brown |
| Napier | | Geoff Braybrooke | Geoff Braybrooke | Geoff Braybrooke | 4,926 | Colleen Pritchard |
| Nelson | | John Blincoe | John Blincoe | John Blincoe | 2,007 | Margaret Emerre |
| New Lynn | | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | 1,598 | Cliff Robinson |
| New Plymouth | | John Armstrong | | Harry Duynhoven | 3,126 | John Armstrong |
| North Shore | | Bruce Cliffe | Bruce Cliffe | Bruce Cliffe | 4,723 | Joel Cayford |
| Onehunga | | Grahame Thorne | | Richard Northey | 407 | Grahame Thorne |
| Onslow | New electorate | New electorate | | Peter Dunne | 1,065 | George Mathew |
| Otago | | Warren Cooper | Warren Cooper | Warren Cooper | 3,220 | Janet Yiakmis |
| Otara | | Trevor Rogers | | Taito Phillip Field | 5,981 | Shane Frith |
| Pahiatua | | John Falloon | John Falloon | John Falloon | 5,178 | Margo Martindale |
| Pakuranga | | Maurice Williamson | Maurice Williamson | Maurice Williamson | 5,460 | Heather MacKay |
| Palmerston North | | Steve Maharey | Steve Maharey | Steve Maharey | 3,764 | Barbara Stones |
| Panmure | | Judith Tizard | Judith Tizard | Judith Tizard | 3,277 | Bruce Jesson |
| Papakura | | John Robertson | John Robertson | John Robertson | 484 | Nancy Hawks |
| Papatoetoe | | Ross Robertson | Ross Robertson | Ross Robertson | 5,977 | Jim Wild |
| Pencarrow | | Sonja Davies | | Trevor Mallard | 2,641 | Rosemarie Thomas |
| Porirua | | Graham Kelly | Graham Kelly | Graham Kelly | 6,713 | Lagi Sipeli |
| Raglan | | Simon Upton | Simon Upton | Simon Upton | 4,540 | Bill Harris |
| Rakaia | New electorate | New electorate | | Jenny Shipley | 4,540 | John Howie |
| Rangiora | | Jim Gerard | Jim Gerard | Jim Gerard | 4,469 | Maureen Little |
| Rangitīkei | | Denis Marshall | Denis Marshall | Denis Marshall | 3,422 | Bob Peck |
| Remuera | | Doug Graham | Doug Graham | Doug Graham | 8,619 | Mary Tierney |
| Roskill | | Gilbert Myles | | Phil Goff | 2,205 | Allan Spence |
| Rotorua | | Paul East | Paul East | Paul East | 429 | Keith Ridings |
| Selwyn | | Ruth Richardson | Ruth Richardson | Ruth Richardson | 888 | Ron Mark |
| St Albans | | David Caygill | David Caygill | David Caygill | 3,425 | Raewyn Dawson |
| St Kilda | | Michael Cullen | Michael Cullen | Michael Cullen | 5,071 | Leah McBey |
| Sydenham | | Jim Anderton | Jim Anderton | Jim Anderton | 7,476 | Greg Coyle |
| Tāmaki | | Clem Simich | Clem Simich | Clem Simich | 7,951 | Richard Green |
| Taranaki | | Roger Maxwell | Roger Maxwell | Roger Maxwell | 4,871 | Stephen Wood |
| Tarawera | | Max Bradford | Max Bradford | Max Bradford | 4,155 | Gordon Dickson |
| Tasman | | Nick Smith | Nick Smith | Nick Smith | 4,059 | Geoff Rowling |
| Tauranga | | Winston Peters | | Winston Peters | 7,924 | John Cronin |
| Te Atatū | | Brian Neeson | | Chris Carter | 1,388 | Laila Harré |
| Timaru | | Maurice McTigue | | Jim Sutton | 2,940 | Maurice McTigue |
| Titirangi | | Marie Hasler | | Suzanne Sinclair | 340 | Marie Hasler |
| Tongariro | | Ian Peters | | Mark Burton | 1,951 | Ian Peters |
| Waikaremoana | | Roger McClay | Roger McClay | Roger McClay | 4,021 | Gregg Sheehan |
| Waikato | | Rob Storey | Rob Storey | Rob Storey | 2,286 | Susan Moore |
| Waipa | | Katherine O'Regan | Katherine O'Regan | Katherine O'Regan | 3,730 | John Kilbride |
| Wairarapa | | Wyatt Creech | Wyatt Creech | Wyatt Creech | 2,229 | Peter Teahan |
| Waitakere | New electorate | New electorate | | Brian Neeson | 3,180 | Barbara Hutchinson |
| Waitaki | | Alec Neill | Alec Neill | Alec Neill | 53 | Bruce Albiston |
| Waitotara | | Peter Gresham | Peter Gresham | Peter Gresham | 4,545 | K F Lehmstedt |
| Wallace | | Bill English | Bill English | Bill English | 5,578 | Lesley Soper |
| Wanganui | | Cam Campion | | Jill Pettis | 3,371 | Gael Donoghue |
| Wellington-Karori | New electorate | New electorate | | Pauline Gardiner | 480 | Chris Laidlaw |
| West Coast | | Margaret Moir | | Damien O'Connor | 2,920 | Margaret Moir |
| Western Hutt | | Joy Quigley | Joy Quigley | Joy Quigley | 1,542 | Vern Walsh |
| Whangarei | | John Banks | John Banks | John Banks | 1,587 | Mark Furey |
| Yaldhurst | | Margaret Austin | Margaret Austin | Margaret Austin | 2,997 | David Watson |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | Peter Tapsell | Peter Tapsell | Peter Tapsell | 6,666 | Alamein Kopu |
| Northern Maori | | Bruce Gregory | | Tau Henare | 416 | Bruce Gregory |
| Southern Maori | | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 6,340 | Jules Parkinson |
| Western Maori | | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | 3,777 | Ricky Taiaroa |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Hamish MacIntyre left National in 1992, joining the Liberal Party which became part of the Alliance
* ↑ Gilbert Myles left National in 1991, becoming Independent, then joining the Liberal Party, which became part of the Alliance, finally New Zealand First in 1992–93
* ↑ Winston Peters had been an Independent since the 1993 by-election.
* ↑ Albiston was first on election night for Waitaki, but lost when special votes were included
* ↑ Campion became an Independent on 3 March 1993

### Summary of changes

Based on the 1991 New Zealand census, an electoral redistribution was carried out; the last one had been carried out in 1987 based on the previous census in 1986. This resulted in the abolition of nine electorates, and the creation of eleven new electorates. Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, so the new electorates increased the number of the North Island electorates by two. In the South Island, one electorate was abolished (Ashburton), and one electorate was recreated (Rakaia). In the North Island, five electorates were newly created (Eastern Bay of Plenty, Far North, Howick, Matakana, and Wellington-Karori), five electorates were recreated (Franklin, Hauraki, Henderson, Onslow, and Waitakere), and eight electorates were abolished (Bay of Islands, Clevedon, Coromandel, East Cape, Maramarua, Ohariu, Wellington Central, and West Auckland).
In many cases an MP from an abolished seat stood for, and was elected to a new one that broadly covered their previous electorate.
| Abolished Electorate | Abolished Electorate | MP relocated | MP relocated | New Electorate |
| Ashburton | → | Jenny Shipley | → | Rakaia |
| Bay of Islands | → | John Carter | → | Far North |
| Clevedon | → | Warren Kyd | → | Hauraki |
| Coromandel | → | Graeme Lee | → | Matakana |
| East Cape | → | Tony Ryall | → | Eastern Bay of Plenty |
| Maramarua | → | Bill Birch | → | Franklin |
| Ohariu | → | Peter Dunne | → | Onslow |
| West Auckland | → | Jack Elder | → | Henderson |
| One MP from an abolished electorate failed to win a new electorate |||||
| Wellington Central | | Pauline Gardiner Y | | Wellington-Karori |
| Wellington Central | | Chris Laidlaw N | | Wellington-Karori |
| Due to boundary changes, two MPs moved to safer new electorates |||||
| Marginal Electorate | Marginal Electorate | MP relocated | MP relocated | New Electorate |
| Te Atatu | → | Brian Neeson | → | Waitakere |
| Otara | → | Trevor Rogers | → | Howick |
New electorates.
* Eastern Bay of Plenty – most of the abolished East Cape seat, plus part of Tarawera. Won by former East Cape MP Tony Ryall.
* Far North – most of the abolished Bay of Islands seat. Won by former Bay of Islands MP John Carter.
* Franklin – part of the abolished Maramarua seat and part of Papakura. Won by former Maramarua MP Bill Birch.
* Hauraki – parts of the abolished Clevedon, Maramarua, and Coromandel seats. Won by former Clevedon MP Warren Kyd.
* Henderson – parts taken from the West Auckland, Te Atatu, and Titirangi electorates. Won by former West Auckland MP Jack Elder (Labour).
* Howick – the eastern part of the Otara seat. Won by former Otara MP Trevor Rogers (National).
* Matakana – part of the abolished Coromandel seat. Won by former Coromandel MP Graeme Lee.
* Onslow – the core of the abolished Ohariu seat. Won by former Ohariu MP Peter Dunne (Labour).
* Rakaia – the abolished Ashburton seat, plus part of the Selwyn seat. Won by former Ashburton MP Jenny Shipley (National).
* Waitakere – chiefly, the abolished seat of West Auckland. Won by former Te Atatu MP Brian Neeson (National).
* Wellington-Karori – the abolished Wellington Central seat, plus part of the abolished Ohariu seat. Won by new National MP Pauline Gardiner.
The seats of Gisborne, Hamilton East, Hamilton West, Hastings, Horowhenua, Invercargill, Lyttelton, Manawatu, Miramar, New Plymouth, Onehunga, Otara, Roskill, Te Atatu, Timaru, Titirangi, Tongariro, Wanganui and West Coast were won from the National Party by Labour challengers. Seventeen of these seats (Gisborne, Hamilton East, Hamilton West, Hastings, Horowhenua, Lyttelton, Manawatu, Miramar, New Plymouth, Onehunga, Otara, Roskill, Te Atatu, Titirangi, Tongariro, Wanganui & the West Coast) had been won by National from Labour in 1990, so were one-term National seats.
* The seat of Auckland Central was won from the Labour Party by an Alliance challenger. The challenger was Sandra Lee and the defeated incumbent was Richard Prebble.
* The seat of Northern Maori was won from the Labour Party by a New Zealand First challenger. The challenger was Tau Henare and the defeated incumbent was Bruce Gregory.
* The seat of Awarua passed from an incumbent National MP to a new National MP.
* The seat of Pencarrow passed from an incumbent Labour MP to a new Labour MP.

## Post-election events

A number of local by-elections were required due to the resignation of incumbent local body politicians following their election to Parliament:
* A by-election to the Auckland City Council was caused after Hauraki Gulf Islands Ward councillor Sandra Lee resigned her seat after she was elected MP for Auckland Central, necessitating a by-election to fill the council vacancy. The by-election was won by Gordon Hodson.