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Whanganui — New Zealand Election Results

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

Whanganui was won by National Party at the 2023 general election, with a margin of 5,512 votes over Labour Party in the electorate vote. This page covers every general election in Whanganui 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 12,973 40.5% National Party (10,759) 2,214 (6.9 pts)
1999 Labour Party Labour Party 12,834 41.6% National Party (9,679) 3,155 (10.2 pts)
2002 Labour Party Labour Party 14,135 46.4% National Party (12,065) 2,070 (6.8 pts)
2005 National Party National Party 15,846 49.3% Labour Party (13,444) 2,402 (7.5 pts)
2008 National Party National Party 19,072 56.3% Labour Party (12,739) 6,333 (18.7 pts)
2011 National Party National Party 16,743 53.7% Labour Party (11,697) 5,046 (16.2 pts)
2014 National Party National Party 18,649 53.7% Labour Party (14,144) 4,505 (13.0 pts)
2017 National Party National Party 16,751 45.6% Labour Party (15,045) 1,706 (4.6 pts)
2020 Labour Party Labour Party 22,299 55.7% National Party (14,108) 8,191 (20.5 pts)
2023 National Party National Party 18,484 47.7% Labour Party (12,972) 5,512 (14.2 pts)

Party Vote in Whanganui

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 10,189 31.7% No -- split result
1999 Labour Party 12,116 39.0% Yes
2002 Labour Party 12,298 39.8% Yes
2005 National Party 13,417 41.1% Yes
2008 National Party 15,869 46.3% Yes
2011 National Party 15,151 47.6% Yes
2014 National Party 16,687 47.3% Yes
2017 National Party 16,874 44.9% Yes
2020 Labour Party 21,228 51.7% Yes
2023 National Party 14,567 37.0% Yes

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1996

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party12,97340.5%
National Party10,75933.6%
Alliance2,9819.3%
NZ First2,8548.9%
Christian Coalition1,3334.2%
Other7012.2%
ACT Party4271.3%

1999

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party12,83441.6%
National Party9,67931.3%
Other4,69815.2%
Alliance1,8466.0%
Green Party7992.6%
NZ First6602.1%
ACT Party3651.2%

2002

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party14,13546.4%
National Party12,06539.6%
Other1,6315.3%
Green Party1,3624.5%
United Future7292.4%
Jim Anderton's Progressive5641.9%

2005

PartyVotesShare
National Party15,84649.3%
Labour Party13,44441.8%
Green Party1,1713.6%
United Future5021.6%
Maori Party4291.3%
Other3891.2%
Jim Anderton's Progressive3711.2%

2008

PartyVotesShare
National Party19,07256.3%
Labour Party12,73937.6%
Green Party1,5034.4%
ACT Party3361.0%
Other2250.7%

2011

PartyVotesShare
National Party16,74353.7%
Labour Party11,69737.5%
Green Party1,4444.6%
NZ First1,0433.3%
ACT Party1350.4%
Other1210.4%

2014

PartyVotesShare
National Party18,64953.7%
Labour Party14,14440.7%
Other1,0803.1%
Maori Party6101.8%
ACT Party2520.7%

2017

PartyVotesShare
National Party16,75145.6%
Labour Party15,04541.0%
NZ First2,5807.0%
Green Party2,0675.6%
ACT Party2940.8%

2020

PartyVotesShare
Labour Party22,29955.7%
National Party14,10835.3%
Other2,1125.3%
Green Party1,4913.7%

2023

PartyVotesShare
National Party18,48447.7%
Labour Party12,97233.5%
NZ First3,1398.1%
Green Party2,0495.3%
ACT Party1,6834.3%
Other4021.0%

Margin Over Time

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

1996: Labour Party margin 6.9 pts 1999: Labour Party margin 10.2 pts 2002: Labour Party margin 6.8 pts 2005: National Party margin 7.5 pts 2008: National Party margin 18.7 pts 2011: National Party margin 16.2 pts 2014: National Party margin 13.0 pts 2017: National Party margin 4.6 pts 2020: Labour Party margin 20.5 pts 2023: National Party margin 14.2 pts 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020 2023

Trend

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Whanganui in the 2023 general election?

National Party won the Whanganui electorate vote in 2023 with 18,484 votes (47.7%), a margin of 5,512 votes over Labour Party in second place.

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

Yes -- National Party won both the electorate vote and the party vote in Whanganui in 2023.

Which parties have won the Whanganui electorate seat since 1996?

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

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