Welcome to Newshub's live updates of the 2020 election results.
Before Saturday, more than 1.97 million people had voted, the highest advance voting total in New Zealand's history. Those votes began being counted at 9am and results will begin being released at 7pm.
As well as voting for political parties and candidates, Kiwis are having their say on the two referendums - one on cannabis legalisation and control, and a second on euthanasia. The results of these won't be known for two weeks.
11:50pm - Thank you for following along tonight. We will be ending these live updates now, but Newshub will continue to have coverage of the results over the coming days.
11:45pm - Chloe Swarbrick has won Auckland Central officially with 100 percent of the vote in.
11:32pm - Both Hamilton seats have gone to Labour from the National Party.
11:29pm - Fun fact: Chris Hipkins currently has the largest majority in the country (17,200), ahead of Jacinda Ardern (16,553).
11:26pm - Dr Shane Reti has just taken the lead back in Whangarei. He only has a 151-vote lead, however. About 91 percent of the vote has been counted.
11:23pm - Newshub has called Auckland Central for Chloe Swarbrick.
11:21pm - With 95.5 percent of all of the votes counted, here's the party votes results.
Labour: 49 percent or 64 seats
National: 26.9 percent or 35 seats
Act: 8 percent or 10 seats
Green: 7.5 percent or 10 seats
NZ First: 2.6 percent or 0 seats
Maori Party: 1 percent or 1 seats - considering a win in Waiariki
11:20pm - Coffey is holding on to hope. he tells Newshub. Waititi has a 337-vote lead with 93.7 percent of the vote counted.
11:15pm - Labour's Steph Lewis will take Whanganui off Harete Hipango, a close Collins confidant.
With 100 percent of the vote in, Wairarapa has gone to Labour.
Upper Harbour, Paula Bennett's electorate, has been lost by new National candidate Jake Bezzant. Labour's candidate has taken it out.
11:08pm - Nine more seats have 100 percent of the vote counted. Here are the winners:
- Coromandel: National's Scott Simpson
- Dunedin: Labour's David Clark
- Invercargill: National's Penny Simmonds
- Kaikoura: National's Stuart Smith
- Napier: Labour's Stuart Nash
- Southland: National's Joseph Mooney
- Tukituki: Labour's Anna Lorck
- Waitaki: National's Jacqui Dean
- West Coast-Tasman: Labour's Damien O'Connor.
11:05pm - Christopher Luxon tells Newshub that Collins stepped into the leadership at a difficult time and she has done "an incredible job".
Is she the right leader for 2023?
"Yeah look I think she is. I think Judith's done a really good job this time - I know its a very disappointing set of results for us and we're going to have to go back and regroup and work our way through it in the next 3 years.
"But Judith in fairness has just stepped up big time - she put a lot of focus to what we were doing and I think she lead us really well."
He's very concerned about the next three years.
10:59pm - Here's an interesting point. Despite Swarbrick looking like she will win Auckland Central, the Greens come third in the party vote in the electorate.
10:53pm - A lot of seats are very close to 100 percent now. One of them is Hutt South. With 95.5 percent of the vote counted, Anderson is leading Bishop by 1841 seats.
10:49pm - Jacinda Ardern is speaking Newshub. She acknowledges that Labour will be leading the next Government but won't say if she will bring the Greens in.
"I am a consensus politician," she says.
She hints that she wants to govern alone, saying that more complex arrangements make it more difficult to govern. Ardern also repeats voters have given Labour a mandate.
Ardern praises outgoing MP Winston Peters for his lifetime of support.
She spoke to National's Collins earlier in the night and the sentiment from Collins seemed "genuine".
Ardern admits she didn't call the Auckland Central result.
10:48pm - One of Saturday's big surprises is that Gerry Brownlee, National's deputy, looks like he is close to losing his seat by a relatively large margin. Labour's Sarah Pallett is ahead by 2159 with 89 percent of the vote reporting.
10:46pm - Christopher Luxon, considered a potential future National leader, is sailing calm in Botany. He has a 4832 vote lead with 87 percent of the vote counted.
10:42pm - Looking at Waiariki again, the Maori Party's Waititi has a 295-vote lead with a 91 percent return.
10:39pm - Invercargill, a seat currently held by National, has had the Labour candidate ahead pretty much all night. But National's Penny Symonds has taken the lead with 96.8 percent of the vote reporting. She's ahead by 638 votes.
New Plymouth, also a National seat, is going to Labour, however. Labour's candidate Glen Bennett has a lead of 1568 with 97 percent of the vote reporting.
Auckland Central still has Swarbrick ahead with 96.4 percent of the vote reporting.
10:35pm - She says Labour has campaigned positively with optimism about the future. Now is the time to keep going, Ardern says.
"Let's keep moving," she says before Shapeshifter plays again.
10:29pm - Here's Ardern. She walks in to Shapeshifter.
"Tonight, New Zealand has shown the Labour Party its greatest support in at least 50 years."
She said the support has come from all over the place, including from areas where it wasn't expected.
She thanks volunteers as well as those who gave her party their vote. For those who didn't support Labour before, she says thank you and won't take that support for granted.
Governing for every New Zealander has never been so important, she says.
It hasn't been an ordinary election, Ardern tells supporters.
"We are living in an increasingly polarised world. A place where more and more people have lost their ability to see one another's view.
"We hope that this election, New Zealand has shown this is not who we are but as a nation we can listen, and we can debate."
It's clear Labour will lead the Government for the next three years, she says.
Labour now has the mandate to accelerate the response to COVID-19.
10:27pm - Collins was resolute that National will be back.
10:25pm - Hutt South has had 81 percent of the vote returned. Labour's Ginny Anderson remains in the lead. She has a 108 vote lead over incumbent Chris Bishop.
10:17pm - Just while we are waiting for Ardern to speak. Here's the latest results:
Labour: 49 percent or 64 seats
National: 27 percent or 35 seats
Act: 8.1 percent or 10 seats
Greens: 7.5 percent or 10 seats
NZF: 2.6 percent or 0 seats
Maori Party: 1 percent or 1 seat - due to current polling in Waiariki.
10:12pm - Both Rangitata and Nelson have had all votes counted. Both change hands from National to Labour. That means Nelson Smith has lost his seat.
New Plymouth is also sitting on 97 percent counted. That will change hands from National's Jonathan Young to Labour's Glen Bennett.
10:10pm - Jacinda Ardern has arrived at the Auckland Town Hall. She is promising to share a few words inside.
10:08pm - Former National minister Chris Finlayson has laid in to those in the National Party who have been leaking, saying they are largely responsible for the result.
10pm - Collins thanks deputy Brownlee and her other MPs for backing her through a "grueling and long campaign".
Those leaving the party will be missed, she says.
Collins confirms she has rung Ardern and believes Labour's result is "outstanding".
She says the National Party will change but re-emerge a stronger party. Her party will be a "robust Opposition".
"We will be back."
9:57pm - Collins has arrived into the building to speak to supporters.
The crowd is cheering "Judith".
She begins by thanking her supporters and volunteers.
"You have done everything we have asked you to do," Collins says.
She admits National has not won tonight.
"You kept the faith. Thank you for that. Thank you to everyone who voted National," Collins says.
"The next 3 years will be an opportunity for us to repay that trust and we will make you so proud that you supported us during this tough time."
Collins says it takes courage for National candidates to put their hands up and say they want to be in Parliament.
She thanks her husband and son for supporting her.
9:56pm - Jacinda Ardern has left her house.
9:53pm - Judith Collins has arrived. She isn't looking happy.
9:51pm - With 82 percent of the vote counted, Swarbrick remains ahead in Auckland Central. She has a 440-vote lead over Labour's White.
9:45pm - We are just waiting for Judith Collins to turn up at the National event. Jacinda Ardern is expected to leave her house in the next 10 minutes.
9:42pm - Coffey has just spoken to Newshub. His seat is on a knife-edge.
"I'm good, I'm good, very good at the moment yes," he said.
"Yeah, of course nervous, it's a tight race, but its going to be what its going to be."
9:39pm - Here's a look at the Labour Party event watching Newshub's coverage.
9:34pm - Coffey is back in the lead. This is going to be one of the main electorates to watch!
9:30pm - The Maori Party's Rawiri Waititi is now leading in Waiariki!
9:29pm - National leader Judith Collins has left SkyCity hotel on her way to the National Party event.
9:28pm - National MP Melissa Lee has spoken to Newshub.
9:27pm - With 72 percent of the vote returned, Swarbrick remains in the lead in Auckland Central. With 7859 votes, she is 470 votes ahead of White and about 1600 ahead of Mellow.
9:25pm - "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand is headed to a second term, early election results show. Her pandemic response led to a surge of support," the New York Times has just push notified.
9:18pm - Winston Peters is speaking. He is smiling and being applauded by his supporters.
He thanks all of those who voted for New Zealand First. The party is currently sitting on 2.4 percent.
We must never stop trusting the people, Peters says. NZ First committed itself to provide certainty and stability over the last three years, the leader tells supporters.
The nature of the current and upcoming economic crisis is not properly understood, he said.
He congratulates the election's victors.
Peters didn't give away much about his future now that he's leaving Parliament.
"Now for the next challenge. We'll all have to wait and see."
It was a fairly short speech.
9:16pm - One to watch: There is just 18 votes currently in Waiariki. Coffey remains in front.
9:15pm - Grant Robertson is now speaking. He is thanking all of the volunteers and people who have signed up to help the party during the campaign.
9:12pm - Here's a picture from Chris Bishop. He's currently trailing in Hutt South.
Bishop is the incumbent and is 508 votes behind Labour's Ginny Anderson with 41 percent of the vote back.
9:08pm - In Waiariki, Labour's Tamati Coffey is leading, but the Maori Party's Rawiri Waititi is only about 140 votes behind. The gap between Peeni Henare and John Tamihere has widened.
9:05pm - Here's the seats looking to leave National's hands at this stage:
Auckland Central, East Coast, Hamilton East, Hamilton West, Hutt South, Ilam, Invercargill, New Plymouth, Northcote, Otaki, Rangitata, Rangitikei, Tukituki, Upper Harbour, Waimakariri, Wairarapa, Whanganui, and Whangarei.
9pm - Here's how the party results are looking with 37 percent of the vote returned:
Labour - 50.3 percent or 65 seats
National - 26 percent or 34 seats
Greens - 8.1 percent or 11 seats
Act - 7.7 percent or 10 seats
New Zealand First - 2.4 percent or 0 seats.
8:53pm - Greens co-leader James Shaw is delighted with the result so far. Normally, the Greens poll higher than their final result.
"Absolutely stoked," he says.
Shaw and co-leader Marama Davidson are at the party celebrations, which are going off!
"We are beyond thrilled to be able to say we did it."
Davidson has congratulated Ardern.
8:48pm - "This is probably the greatest election victory by a Prime Minister in New Zealand's history," commentator and former National staffer Matthew Hooton says.
8:45pm - Jami-Lee Ross is speaking at the AdvanceNZ event.
8:40pm - Eighteen electorates currently held by National MPs are being led by Labour candidates.
8:39pm - If Simon Bridges was still leader, the National Party's results would be in the late-teens according to former National Party minister Chris Finlayson.
8:36pm - Here's a look at the parties sitting below 5 percent. None will be heading to Parliament unless they get an electorate seat. The Maori Party could in Waiariki.
8:28pm - National's health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti is in danger of losing his seat. With 17 percent of the vote returned, Dr Reti is 600 votes behind Labour's Emily Henderson (6000 votes).
8:25pm - It's a tough night, but it's not over until it's over, says Gerry Brownlee. He says this election has been dominated by COVID-19.
He says it's been a good campaign in some ways, but some of the big issues haven't been on the table.
Collins has done an exceptional job in difficult circumstances, he says. She should stay on as leader, he tells Newshub.
"She's done a great job and I think the caucus will look for a stabalising influence."
Brownlee believes we will see a Labour-Green Government.
8:20pm - Some battleground seats:
Labour leading in Hutt South, currently held by National's Chris Bishop. It has 24.1 percent of the vote returned. However, Ginny Anderson only has a 200-vote lead over Bishop.
Swarbrick continues to lead Auckland Central with 35 percent of the vote back. She has 500 votes over Labour's White and about 1600 votes over National's Mellow.
8:17pm - Newshub's Mike McRoberts is at the National Party headquarters.
"Still more media here than there are National Party supporters," he says.
"If you are a National supporter it's a pretty grim show to be watching. I haven't felt such a quiet election night venue since I was in Time Square in New York when President Trump won. That's what it's like at the moment."
8:15pm - Let's look at the Maori seats. They are all lead by Labour at the moment, but the Maori Party's Rawiri Waititi is only about 100 votes behind Labour's Tamati Coffey. Labour's Peeni Henare is ahead of John Tamihere by 500 votes in Tamaki Makaurau.
8:09pm- Grant Robertson seems chuffed with Labour's results so far. He says no decisions have been made about ministerial roles yet.
"I spoke to [Jacinda] early today and she was tired like we all are but I think she was happy we ran a positive campaign."
He had a relaxing day.
"I caught up with some family... I actually had a massage which was fantastic, and I cut myself shaving too."
Josie Pagani, a political commentator, says this an absolute landslide for Labour.
8pm - At 8pm, here's how things look with 22 percent of votes back:
Labour - 50.4 percent or 65 seats
National - 25.8 percent or 34 seats
Greens - 8.3 percent or 11 seats
Act - 7.6 percent or 10 seats
New Zealand First - 2.3 percent or 0 seats.
7:59pm - David Seymour has congratulated Jacinda Ardern
He is looking forward to the next term.
"Not only holding Government to account but also proposing ideas for a better tomorrow.
"While I want to congratulate Jacinda Ardern for this election, there's a difference between being able to market and being able to deliver, and our criticism has never been personal, it's about delivering."
7:55pm - Both of the Hamilton electorates are being lead by Labour candidates at the moment. They are currently National seats.
There are big crowds outside Jacinda Ardern's house at the moment.
7:53pm - Brownlee admits the numbers don't look good at the moment, but he wants to see how the rest of the night goes.
"The party's in good spirits and we've had our own disruptions along the way."
7:50pm - The National Party has locked its Twitter account.
7:46pm - David Seymour is arriving to the Viaduct in Auckland on a boat.
Seymour thanks the Kiwis who have backed them at this election.
"I wanna thank the people of New Zealand. Around 200,000 New Zealanders who have put their trust in ACT and would like their genuine independent team of ACT MP's to work for you."
7:45pm - Swarbrick is speaking to Newshub. She is currently leading in Auckland Central, with a 400-vote lead.
"We grow a community along the way. No one can take anything for granted."
7:43pm - Former National MP Andrew Falloon's seat, Rangitata, is going red. With 35 percent of the vote returned, Labour's Jo Luxton has a 4000-vote lead over National's Megan Hands.
7:40pm - Kelvin Davis, the Labour Party deputy leader, is speaking to Newshub.
"It's too early to talk about what we're going to do post election, we still don't know who's going to be standing at about 10 o'clock tonight."
"We won't count our chickens before they hatch"
7:35pm - Seats can jump around a lot during the early vote, but here's a few surprising nuggets at the moment.
Labour's Kiri Allen is leading National's Tania Tapsell in East Coast.
Labour's Sarah Pallett is beating National's Gerry Brownlee by 1000 votes in Ilam, which would be a massive upset if it remained that way. That seat is on 14 percent returned.
In New Plymouth, Labour's Glen Bennett is leading incumbent National's Jonathan Young. Bennett has a 1200 vote lead with 25 percent returned.
7:33pm - Helen White has taken the lead in Auckland Central. She currently has a 100-vote over Swarbrick.
7:30pm - National supporters are slowly starting to arrive with a group of approximately 20 people mingling in among media inside the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Westhaven Marina.
On Newshub's election special, the commentators are discussing Judith Collins' future. She may stay on in the initial months, but her future as leader is on shaky ground, they say.
7:25pm - With 25 percent of the vote counted, Nick Smith is down in Nelson. The incumbent is in second place behind Labour's Rachel Boyack. Boyack has 8200 votes and Smith is on 5593.
Battleground electorates early count: Labour leading in Nelson, East Coast, Maungakiekie; National leading in Hamilton West; Greens ahead in Auckland Central.
7:19pm - With 10.7 percent of the Auckland Central vote counted, Swarbrick remains in the lead. Newshub has just crossed live to Greens HQ and it's going crazy there!
7:16pm - Brooke van Velden, deputy leader of the Act Party, says Saturday is a great day for democracy. The party is sitting on 7.5 percent, a major jump on its 2017 result.
7:15pm - With 2 percent of the overall vote returned, let's look at the minor parties. The Greens are seeing 8.8 percent. Act is on 7.5 percent and New Zealand First is on 2.2 percent.
7:12pm - Quick look at Auckland Central and Chloe Swarbrick is leading. However, we only have 6 percent returned. She has 409 votes, compared to Labour's Helen White's 301 votes and National's Emma Mellow's 249.
7:08pm - The results will now start moving around and we will keep you updated throughout.
7:05pm - FIRST RESULTS:
Labour: 50.5 - 65 seats
National: 26.6 - 34
Act: 8.3 - 11
Greens: 7 - 9
New Zealand First: 2.3 - 0
7:03pm - The polls closed at 7pm. We are still awaiting the first data.
Paul Henry is optimistic for National, but best case scenario of 33 percent. Labour on 45 percent, according to Henry. He puts New Zealand First close to the threshold. Act on 7-8 percent and Greens on 6 percent.
Linda Clark believes Labour could get up to 48 percent. An "extraordinary result", she says. National could go under 30 percent, according to Clark. She believes it's toast for Collins.
7pm - Welcome to Newshub's live updates. We are awaiting the first results. These will come from the advance vote which began being counted at 9am on Saturday morning.
Throughout the night you can find all the results, analysis and reactions here. If you want a more specific electorate breakdown, check out this link.
Here are a few images from earlier of the Labour celebrations, AdvanceNZ, the Act Party headquarters, National's stage and John Tamihere turning out up to his celebrations.
