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Christchurch East — New Zealand Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Christchurch East was won by Labour Party at the 2023 general election, with a margin of 2,397 votes over National Party in the electorate vote. This page covers every general election in Christchurch East from 1996 to 2023.

New Zealand uses Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) voting: every voter casts two votes each election. The electorate vote below elects this seat's local MP by simple plurality (the same "winner by margin" model this site uses everywhere) — it does not by itself determine how many seats a party holds in Parliament. The separate party vote, shown further down, is what decides each party's overall share of Parliament, and often goes to a different party than the local electorate vote does.

Electorate Vote — Full History, 1996–2023

Election Winner Party Votes Vote Share Runner-up Margin
1996 Labour Party Labour Party 11,174 37.0% National Party (8,216) 2,958 (9.8 pts)
1999 Labour Party Labour Party 18,157 56.8% National Party (6,995) 11,162 (34.9 pts)
2002 Labour Party Labour Party 19,784 63.9% National Party (4,920) 14,864 (48.0 pts)
2005 Labour Party Labour Party 20,969 60.3% National Party (8,996) 11,973 (34.4 pts)
2008 Labour Party Labour Party 17,969 52.9% National Party (12,204) 5,765 (17.0 pts)
2011 Labour Party Labour Party 15,559 55.5% National Party (10,225) 5,334 (19.0 pts)
2014 Labour Party Labour Party 15,221 48.1% National Party (11,148) 4,073 (12.9 pts)
2017 Labour Party Labour Party 18,439 54.4% National Party (10,959) 7,480 (22.1 pts)
2020 Labour Party Labour Party 25,234 63.3% National Party (7,898) 17,336 (43.5 pts)
2023 Labour Party Labour Party 15,163 39.6% National Party (12,766) 2,397 (6.3 pts)

Party Vote in Christchurch East

The party vote is cast on the same ballot but decides Parliament's overall makeup, not this seat's MP. Shown here for the same years as the electorate vote above, so the two can be compared directly.

ElectionParty Vote WinnerVotesShareSame as electorate vote?
1996 Labour Party 11,675 36.4% Yes
1999 Labour Party 15,084 46.8% Yes
2002 Labour Party 16,142 51.3% Yes
2005 Labour Party 18,893 53.4% Yes
2008 Labour Party 15,585 45.3% Yes
2011 National Party 13,252 46.1% No -- split result
2014 National Party 12,928 39.8% No -- split result
2017 Labour Party 16,414 47.3% Yes
2020 Labour Party 24,563 60.3% Yes
2023 Labour Party 13,418 34.4% Yes

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1996

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party11,17437.0%
National Party8,21627.2%
Alliance7,30524.2%
NZ First2,9709.8%
ACT Party5691.9%
Other20.0%

1999

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party18,15756.8%
National Party6,99521.9%
Other2,1986.9%
Alliance2,1276.7%
Green Party1,2964.1%
ACT Party6672.1%
NZ First5281.7%

2002

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party19,78463.9%
National Party4,92015.9%
Green Party1,5575.0%
United Future1,5324.9%
Other1,4834.8%
ACT Party8412.7%
Jim Anderton's Progressive8342.7%

2005

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party20,96960.3%
National Party8,99625.9%
Green Party1,6984.9%
United Future1,2053.5%
Jim Anderton's Progressive9262.7%
Other5721.6%
ACT Party4011.2%

2008

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party17,96952.9%
National Party12,20435.9%
Green Party1,8435.4%
Other1,1583.4%
Jim Anderton's Progressive5751.7%
United Future2040.6%

2011

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party15,55955.5%
National Party10,22536.5%
Green Party1,3474.8%
Other7762.8%
United Future1080.4%

2014

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party15,22148.1%
National Party11,14835.2%
Green Party3,20610.1%
Other1,7285.5%
Maori Party1900.6%
United Future1590.5%

2017

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party18,43954.4%
National Party10,95932.4%
Green Party2,0186.0%
NZ First1,5294.5%
Other7892.3%
ACT Party1370.4%

2020

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party25,23463.3%
National Party7,89819.8%
Green Party2,7206.8%
Other2,6866.7%
ACT Party1,3403.4%

2023

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party15,16339.6%
National Party12,76633.3%
Green Party4,59412.0%
Other2,1035.5%
NZ First2,0305.3%
ACT Party1,6794.4%

Margin Over Time

Electorate-vote winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1996: Labour Party margin 9.8 pts 1999: Labour Party margin 34.9 pts 2002: Labour Party margin 48.0 pts 2005: Labour Party margin 34.4 pts 2008: Labour Party margin 17.0 pts 2011: Labour Party margin 19.0 pts 2014: Labour Party margin 12.9 pts 2017: Labour Party margin 22.1 pts 2020: Labour Party margin 43.5 pts 2023: Labour Party margin 6.3 pts 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023

Trend

Christchurch East has been contested at 10 general elections on record since 1996. Winning party of the electorate vote over that span: Labour Party.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Christchurch East in the 2023 general election?

Labour Party won the Christchurch East electorate vote in 2023 with 15,163 votes (39.6%), a margin of 2,397 votes over National Party in second place.

Did the electorate vote and party vote agree in Christchurch East in 2023?

Yes -- Labour Party won both the electorate vote and the party vote in Christchurch East in 2023.

Which parties have won the Christchurch East electorate seat since 1996?

Since 1996, Christchurch East has been won by: Labour Party.

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