Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he'll decide on the date for the Port Waikato by-election on Tuesday.
It comes after the ACT Party announced on Monday that candidate Neil Christensen had passed away. He was the party's Port Waikato candidate and ranked 35th on the party list.
The Electoral Commission said this will mean a by-election must take place in the electorate.
"Party votes in the Port Waikato electorate will be counted in the General Election results. Port Waikato electorate votes will not be counted, and a by-election will be held after the election to elect a member of Parliament,” said chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne.
It means Parliament will be made up of 121MPs - an additional list MP will be added.
Hipkins told AM on Tuesday discussions will get underway on Tuesday about when the by-election will be held but added he has to make a decision on it today.
The Prime Minister said he'll speak with the leader of the opposition Christopher Luxon today to set an appropriate date within a month of the general election.
"It can be done within a month or so of the general election result, probably not any faster than that so we will set that out this afternoon," Hipkins said.
There is speculation the by-election could help National and potentially give the party an extra MP.
This is because National's Andrew Bayly currently holds the Port Waikato seat. In 2020, Bayly received 39.4 percent of the vote compared to the Labour candidate's 28.5 percent. The ACT candidate received 3.4 percent.
Bayly would likely enter Parliament after the election as a List MP due to his high ranking. If he was to win the by-election, which he would be expected to, he would become an electorate MP, therefore opening up a List position in National.
But Hipkins denied that.
"People who are making that claim don't necessarily understand the formula that sits behind MMP because it very much depends on who gets the last list spot and that can change on special vote counts, so you can't necessarily draw that conclusion," he said.
Le Quesne said Port Waikato voters who haven't voted, should still go and vote. If they have already voted, they don't need to do anything else.
"Your party vote will be counted and contribute to the overall results of the General Election. Your vote is important. You will have an opportunity to vote for a member of Parliament for the Port Waikato electorate when a by-election is held."
ACT leader David Seymour said Christensen was a valued member of the party.
"On behalf of the ACT Party I’d like to offer my condolences to Neil’s family and friends. Our thoughts are with you," he said.
"I wish to pay tribute to Neil, who was an infectiously charismatic and fascinating man and was New Zealand’s only registered specialist poultry veterinarian. He was a dedicated member of the ACT Party who will be immensely missed."
Christensen was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Africa. He moved to New Zealand in 1984. He began working in poultry veterinary in 1979 and was New Zealand's only registered specialist poultry vet.
