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Palmerston North — New Zealand Election Results

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

Palmerston North was won by Labour Party at the 2023 general election, with a margin of 3,087 votes over National Party in the electorate vote. This page covers every general election in Palmerston North 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 18,313 55.3% National Party (7,283) 11,030 (33.3 pts)
1999 Labour Party Labour Party 20,196 63.0% National Party (7,043) 13,153 (41.0 pts)
2002 Labour Party Labour Party 17,032 56.4% National Party (9,405) 7,627 (25.3 pts)
2005 Labour Party Labour Party 17,263 53.9% National Party (11,763) 5,500 (17.2 pts)
2008 Labour Party Labour Party 15,977 46.8% National Party (14,860) 1,117 (3.3 pts)
2011 Labour Party Labour Party 16,525 51.3% National Party (13,240) 3,285 (10.2 pts)
2014 Labour Party Labour Party 16,885 50.1% National Party (14,673) 2,212 (6.6 pts)
2017 Labour Party Labour Party 18,338 53.1% National Party (11,946) 6,392 (18.5 pts)
2020 Labour Party Labour Party 22,516 59.6% National Party (10,008) 12,508 (33.1 pts)
2023 Labour Party Labour Party 15,339 43.8% National Party (12,252) 3,087 (8.8 pts)

Party Vote in Palmerston North

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 National Party 10,902 32.7% No -- split result
1999 Labour Party 12,671 39.2% Yes
2002 Labour Party 13,051 42.5% Yes
2005 Labour Party 14,642 45.0% Yes
2008 Labour Party 14,108 40.7% Yes
2011 National Party 14,577 44.1% No -- split result
2014 National Party 14,835 43.2% No -- split result
2017 Labour Party 14,648 41.4% Yes
2020 Labour Party 21,315 54.9% Yes
2023 National Party 12,195 34.0% No -- split result

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1996

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party18,31355.3%
National Party7,28322.0%
Alliance2,2606.8%
NZ First1,7675.3%
Christian Coalition1,5434.7%
ACT Party1,3544.1%
Other6101.8%

1999

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party20,19663.0%
National Party7,04322.0%
Other1,4594.6%
Alliance1,3004.1%
Green Party8182.6%
ACT Party7612.4%
NZ First4691.5%

2002

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party17,03256.4%
National Party9,40531.1%
Green Party1,4364.8%
Other1,2424.1%
United Future1,0893.6%

2005

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party17,26353.9%
National Party11,76336.7%
Green Party1,1413.6%
NZ First8532.7%
United Future6272.0%
Jim Anderton's Progressive2510.8%
Other1470.5%

2008

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party15,97746.8%
National Party14,86043.5%
Green Party1,5094.4%
Other8392.5%
ACT Party4201.2%
Jim Anderton's Progressive2610.8%
United Future2590.8%

2011

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party16,52551.3%
National Party13,24041.1%
Green Party1,4854.6%
Other6752.1%
ACT Party1670.5%
United Future1090.3%

2014

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party16,88550.1%
National Party14,67343.5%
NZ First1,2173.6%
Other9392.8%

2017

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party18,33853.1%
National Party11,94634.6%
NZ First2,1556.2%
Green Party1,9605.7%
Other1420.4%

2020

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party22,51659.6%
National Party10,00826.5%
Green Party2,0495.4%
Other2,0385.4%
ACT Party1,1923.2%

2023

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party15,33943.8%
National Party12,25235.0%
Green Party3,1629.0%
ACT Party2,8418.1%
Other1,4184.1%

Margin Over Time

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

1996: Labour Party margin 33.3 pts 1999: Labour Party margin 41.0 pts 2002: Labour Party margin 25.3 pts 2005: Labour Party margin 17.2 pts 2008: Labour Party margin 3.3 pts 2011: Labour Party margin 10.2 pts 2014: Labour Party margin 6.6 pts 2017: Labour Party margin 18.5 pts 2020: Labour Party margin 33.1 pts 2023: Labour Party margin 8.8 pts 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023

Trend

Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North in the 2023 general election?

Labour Party won the Palmerston North electorate vote in 2023 with 15,339 votes (43.8%), a margin of 3,087 votes over National Party in second place.

Did the electorate vote and party vote agree in Palmerston North in 2023?

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

Which parties have won the Palmerston North electorate seat since 1996?

Since 1996, Palmerston North has been won by: Labour Party.

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