7.55pm NZDT, 7 November 2026 | NZE2026-NELSON | Update 2
National’s Blair Cameron was just 235 votes ahead of Labour’s Rachel Boyack in Nelson as fresh returns tightened the contest for the Labour-held seat.
Official Electoral Commission figures at 7.55pm showed Cameron on 12,364 votes and Boyack on 12,129, with 21 of 47 results counted, or 44.7 percent.
Cameron’s lead had fallen from 737 votes at 7.20pm. More than half the returns were still outstanding, leaving the seat closely contested.
The Greens’ Rohan O’Neill-Stevens was third on 2,190 votes, followed by ACT’s Chris Baillie on 947 and Opportunity’s Jodie Kuntzsch on 790.
Labour led the separate party vote with 8,489 votes against National’s 7,865. The Greens had 4,075, ACT 3,199, New Zealand First 2,455 and Opportunity 2,297.
Boyack is defending the seat for Labour. The preliminary count excludes special votes, which are counted after election night. Official results are expected on November 27.