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Nelson — New Zealand Election Results

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

Nelson was won by Labour Party at the 2023 general election, with a margin of 26 votes over National Party in the electorate vote. This page covers every general election in Nelson 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 National Party National Party 20,481 65.2% Labour Party (8,057) 12,424 (39.5 pts)
1999 National Party National Party 15,542 44.8% Labour Party (11,021) 4,521 (13.0 pts)
2002 National Party National Party 15,779 47.3% Labour Party (11,547) 4,232 (12.7 pts)
2005 National Party National Party 20,299 55.7% Labour Party (10,073) 10,226 (28.1 pts)
2008 National Party National Party 20,471 57.1% Labour Party (12,000) 8,471 (23.6 pts)
2011 National Party National Party 18,360 53.1% Labour Party (11,272) 7,088 (20.5 pts)
2014 National Party National Party 20,000 53.4% Labour Party (12,395) 7,605 (20.3 pts)
2017 National Party National Party 16,735 40.7% Labour Party (12,452) 4,283 (10.4 pts)
2020 Labour Party Labour Party 21,376 48.7% National Party (16,851) 4,525 (10.3 pts)
2023 Labour Party Labour Party 17,541 41.7% National Party (17,515) 26 (0.1 pts)

Party Vote in Nelson

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 11,012 31.8% No -- split result
1999 Labour Party 14,154 40.6% No -- split result
2002 Labour Party 15,149 44.9% No -- split result
2005 Labour Party 15,809 43.0% No -- split result
2008 National Party 15,378 42.5% Yes
2011 National Party 16,016 45.4% Yes
2014 National Party 16,904 44.4% Yes
2017 Labour Party 17,311 41.6% No -- split result
2020 Labour Party 23,943 54.0% Yes
2023 National Party 13,856 32.4% No -- split result

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1996

PartyVotesShare
National Party20,48165.2%
Labour Party8,05725.6%
NZ First1,5104.8%
Christian Coalition7492.4%
Other3651.2%
ACT Party2510.8%
Alliance30.0%

1999

PartyVotesShare
National Party15,54244.8%
Labour Party11,02131.8%
Green Party3,51610.1%
Alliance2,5057.2%
Other1,3643.9%
ACT Party4611.3%
NZ First2960.9%

2002

PartyVotesShare
National Party15,77947.3%
Labour Party11,54734.6%
Green Party4,08412.2%
Other9993.0%
United Future7622.3%
Jim Anderton's Progressive2110.6%

2005

PartyVotesShare
National Party20,29955.7%
Labour Party10,07327.7%
Green Party4,26911.7%
Other6591.8%
United Future5681.6%
Jim Anderton's Progressive2520.7%
Maori Party1650.5%
ACT Party1440.4%

2008

PartyVotesShare
National Party20,47157.1%
Labour Party12,00033.5%
Green Party2,6057.3%
Other3120.9%
ACT Party3060.9%
United Future1380.4%

2011

PartyVotesShare
National Party18,36053.1%
Labour Party11,27232.6%
Green Party3,2769.5%
NZ First6691.9%
Other6011.7%
United Future2040.6%
ACT Party1710.5%

2014

PartyVotesShare
National Party20,00053.4%
Labour Party12,39533.1%
Green Party3,4499.2%
Other1,4383.8%
ACT Party1930.5%

2017

PartyVotesShare
National Party16,73540.7%
Labour Party12,45230.3%
Green Party9,74623.7%
NZ First1,4293.5%
Other6171.5%
ACT Party1520.4%

2020

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party21,37648.7%
National Party16,85138.4%
Other2,3015.2%
Green Party2,0464.7%
ACT Party1,3203.0%

2023

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party17,54141.7%
National Party17,51541.7%
Green Party2,7916.6%
ACT Party2,6926.4%
Other1,4853.5%

Margin Over Time

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

1996: National Party margin 39.5 pts 1999: National Party margin 13.0 pts 2002: National Party margin 12.7 pts 2005: National Party margin 28.1 pts 2008: National Party margin 23.6 pts 2011: National Party margin 20.5 pts 2014: National Party margin 20.3 pts 2017: National Party margin 10.4 pts 2020: Labour Party margin 10.3 pts 2023: Labour Party margin 0.1 pts 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023

Trend

Nelson has been contested at 10 general elections on record since 1996. Winning parties of the electorate vote over that span: National Party, Labour Party.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Nelson in the 2023 general election?

Labour Party won the Nelson electorate vote in 2023 with 17,541 votes (41.7%), a margin of 26 votes over National Party in second place.

Did the electorate vote and party vote agree in Nelson in 2023?

No -- Labour Party won the electorate vote in Nelson in 2023, but National Party won the separate party vote there.

Which parties have won the Nelson electorate seat since 1996?

Since 1996, Nelson has been won by: Labour Party, National Party.

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