Hutt South election results 2026: Bishop concedes as Andersen leads by 889
8 November 2026, 12.50am NZDT NZE2026-HUTT-SOUTH | UPDATE 3
National's Chris Bishop has conceded the Hutt South electorate race, RNZ reports, with Labour's Ginny Andersen 889 votes ahead after all 80 voting-place results had been returned.
In a report published at 12.48am, RNZ said Bishop had conceded the electorate and emphasised the wider question of the government and its policies. The concession is an attributed political statement, not the official declaration of the seat.
Official Electoral Commission figures gave Andersen 17,957 votes and Bishop 17,068. The completed preliminary count excludes special votes and is not an official declaration of the seat.
Andersen's margin was 823 at 12.15am, when 98.8 percent of voting-place results had been returned. The final voting-place return lifted her advantage by 66 votes.
The contest remained consequential for the national seat balance. The commission's nationwide projection at 12.50am gave National 42 seats, all of them electorates, with no list seats in its current allocation.
National, ACT and New Zealand First together had a projected 67 seats in a 131-member House, one above the 66 needed for a majority. That preliminary allocation can change as counting continues.
Special votes remain to be counted and could change the Hutt South margin. Official results are expected on 27 November.