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Decision 14: As it happened

  • Breaking
  • 20/09/2014

Welcome to 3news.co.nz’s live coverage of the 2014 General Election. Refresh this page for up-to-the-minute updates as results come in, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at each political party’s election night functions.

12:31am

That’s a wrap! Thanks for joining us for Decision 14.

FULL SPEECHES:

11:35pm

John Key has made a triumphant entrance to the National Party function in Auckland, greeted by chants of “three more years!” from the hundreds of party supporters.

“This is a victory for those who kept the faith,” he told them.

“This is a victory for those who refused to be distracted and who knew that a vote for National was a vote for a brighter future for all New Zealanders.”

With 99.9 percent of the vote counted, National has increased its party vote by 1 percent from 2011, to 48 percent – 61 MPs. Labour has dropped 3 percent to 24 percent and will bring in 32 MPs – two fewer than previously.

Mr Key has assured New Zealanders that “everything will keep ticking over as usual”.

He singled out Finance Minister Bill English as the “one person who made this victory possible,” as well as campaign manager Steven Joyce.

11:31pm

It's a long victory walk for John Key to get to the stage - and the dreadful music loop is not making the wait any easier!

11:26pm

National Party leader John Key has spoken to media outside the Viaduct Events Centre: “National voters wanted us back and they voted for us in droves.”

“It was always going to be a tough campaign,” he said, but “underneath it all New Zealanders knew this was their election.

“Underneath it all, New Zealanders knew this was their election.

“They're going to vote for the future of the country, the issues that matter, and not be distracted.”

10:56pm

Labour leader David Cunliffe has conceded defeat, telling his supporters a short time ago that he has called John Key to congratulate him.

“As most of you realise, the way the votes have fallen tonight,” he said. “We will not be able to form a government. The party votes of Labour and the Greens are not sufficient to change government, even with New Zealand First."

Mr Cunliffe says it has been an extraordinary campaign beset by dirty politics and sideshows.

“New Zealanders have chosen to continue, and we respect that choice. And they have clearly stated that wealthy individuals cannot buy politics, be they Kim Dotcom or Colin Craig.

“Sadly, these sideshows have distracted from the issues that are more core to the future of our country."

He congratulated the Labour MPs who were successful in electorate seats, including in three Maori seats.

His comments drew a huge cheer from National’s supporters at the Viaduct Events Centre.

Mr Cunliffe says he will stay on as leader and says another three-year campaign to get Labour into government in 2017 “starts now”.

“There’s only so much you can do in one year,” he told media after his speech.

10:50pm

Kim Dotcom, the Internet Party’s main financial backer, has blamed himself for Internet Mana’s failure to get into Parliament, and says the Internet Party will “do really well” once his “poison” is removed.

“I’m sorry to say this, but we lost because of me,” he said.

However, the party’s chief executive Vikram Kumar was more charitable, saying the party’s defeat was not all Dotcom’s fault.

“Kim has been the biggest reason for attracting people as well as not attracting people,” Mr Kumar said. “He’s polarising.

“I think we’ve made a lasting impact, a positive impact in a lot of ways.”

10:49pm

10:34pm

Mana Party leader Hone Harawira has left his Te Tai Tokerau function in Kaitaia after speaking to his supporters. He has refused to concede defeat, saying he will wait for all special votes to be counted.

However, Internet Party leader Laila Harre seems to have conceded on Mr Harawira’s behalf, telling her party faithful in Auckland that the Internet Mana alliance has “been defeated by the votes of the National Party”.

Ms Harre needed Mr Harawira to win Te Tai Tokerau in order for her to get into Parliament.

10:28pm

As the results continue to roll in, Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre is filling up with blue-clad party supporters.

With 90 percent of the vote counted, National is looking comfortable on 48 per cent.

10:24pm

10:18pm

Electorate results so far:

Bay of Plenty: Todd Muller  - National
Clutha-Southland: Todd Barclay – National
Coromandel: Scott Simpson – National
Dunedin North: David Clark – Labour
Dunedin South: Clare Curran – Labour
East Coast Bays: Murray McCully – National
Invercargill: Sarah Dowie – National
Napier: Stuart Nash – Labour
Nelson: Nick Smith – National
New Plymouth: Jonathan Young – National
North Shore: Maggie Barry – National
Pakuranga: Maurice Williamson – National
Rangitata: Jo Goodhew – National
Tauranga: Simon Bridges – National
Tukituki: Craig Foss – National
Wairarapa: Alastair Scott – National
Waitaki: Jacqui Dean – National
West Coast-Tasman: Damien O’Connor – Labour
Whanganui: Chester Borrows - National

10:08pm

Green Party co-leaders Metiria Turei and Russel Norman have arrived at Hopetoun Alpha in Auckland. With 90.4 percent of the vote counted the Greens are sitting on 10 percent, which will see them return 13 MPs to Parliament – one fewer than in 2011.

Addressing the enthusiastic crowd, Ms Turei said although the party would have liked a bigger share of the party vote, “we could not have done more”.

10.01pm

Winston Peters has arrived at NZ First’s headquarters on Auckland’s North Shore, on what has been a successful night for the party. NZ First currently holds 8.91 percent of the party vote, which would see them bring 11 MPs into Parliament – up from the eight they brought in at the last election.

Mr Peters thanked the party faithful and congratulated the candidates the party will be bringing into Parliament.

He fired a warning shot about the country’s economic future.

“We trust that despite tonight’s result, the great majority of New Zealanders will see we cannot afford to carry on as we were,” he said.

“We are not living in a rockstar economy and indeed this is a most uncertain time for anyone contemplating the next three years government…We have to confront the huge mountain of government and national debt whilst harder times definitely lie ahead for many.”

9:48pm

Could this be the defining image of election night? Hone Harawira is losing his grip on Te Tai Tokerau – Labour’s Kelvin Davis has increased his lead to 936 votes with 86.1 percent of the vote counted.

But has Mr Harawira lost hope? “Hell no!” he says.

“We’ve done as much as we possibly can…we just have to wait for the big [booths] in the north to come in…we couldn’t have done any more.”

“I’m not about to concede defeat of this seat. We’ve got a long way to go.”

At the Internet Party’s headquarters at The Cloud in Auckland central, list candidate Chris Yong is keeping his spirits up.

"I think we're having a very, very interesting night so far. It's kind of like watching a cliffhanger movie where you have no idea what the end result's going to be until you get to the end."

He's hoping special votes put Mr Harawira over the line.

"The fat lady, figuratively speaking, has yet to sing."

At the Green Party’s function at Auckland’s Hopetoun Alpha, the crowd has become tense. The earlier cheering and grinning among the crowd has given way to folded arms and pensive expressions as they hover around 10 percent of the party vote.

The party hasn’t given up hope of beating its 2011 result of 11 percent, which saw it bring 14 MPs into Parliament.

MC Rick Leckinger has told the crowd “the night is still young”.

9:39pm

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig arrived at the North Shore Golf Club a short time ago. The party is sitting at 4.21 percent of the party vote with 73.6 percent counted – below the 5 percent threshold needed to get them into Parliament – but Mr Craig isn’t giving up yet.

“Last time we went up so substantially later on in the evening."

"I'd like a system that got us into Parliament, but as I say, 5 percent is looking a long way off."

Does he regret not pushing harder for an electorate seat deal with National?

“Not at this stage of the night.”

9:37pm

9:27pm

Labour’s deputy leader David Parker says the party vote results are “not as high as we would like”.

“It is possible that there could be a rise from the party vote results in some of the large booths but I’d be misleading you if I said I was happy with the party vote as it is now,” he says.

However, he is refusing to concede defeat. The party has had good results in some electorates – such as Napier’s Stuart Nash, who leads National’s Wayne Walford by more than 3,400 votes – but others, like Maungakiekie, are “on a knife edge”.

Mr Parker says party leader David Cunliffe “can hold his head up high…I think he’s run a very good campaign.”

Te Atatu candidate Phil Twyford (below) is leading National's candidate Alfred Ngaro by more than 1500 votes.

In Dunedin, Labour candidates are ahead despite local party vote support for National.

North Dunedin challenger Michael Woodhouse is currently trailing Labour MP David Clark by more than 2000 votes, while Labour's Clare Curran has the edge over National’s Hamish Walker in Dunedin South.

Invercargill, Clutha-Southland and Waitaki are safe as houses for National with Sarah Dowie, Todd Barclay and Jacqui Dean leading Labour by thousands of votes in their respective electorates.

9:19pm

Duncan Garner says he does not see how the left can govern based on current results, with 56 percent of the vote counted.

9:04pm

Drama in Te Tai Tokerau: Labour’s Kelvin Davis has pulled ahead of Mana leader Hone Harawira and is currently leading by just 42 votes with 41.3 percent of the vote counted.

A win for Mr Davis would mean Internet Mana will need to cross the 5 percent party vote threshold to get into Parliament, which is currently looking unlikely.

Earlier this evening, Mr Harawira seemed nervous when spoken to by 3 News.

“That electorate was always going to be tight, particularly when you're not just up against a Labour candidate, you're also up against the National Party Prime Minister, the Maori Party and NZ First as well,” he said. “That made it particularly difficult.”

“If I hold on I think it's going to be more of a victory for the people of Te Tai Tokarau, more so than it is to me.”

News of Mr Davis’ lead drew cheers at the National Party headquarters, but was met with silence at the Internet Party HQ.

8:56pm

The party is still yet to ramp up at National Party HQ, but MPs Steven Joyce and Paula Bennett have already arrived. 3 News political editor Patrick Gower has been checking out some of the finer details of the event at the Viaduct Events Centre – the floor is “so clean you could eat off it”, he says.

8:49pm

Did nobody tell John Key not to feed the journalists? There’ll be fights over these!

8:46pm

8:44pm

Peter Dunne has lost his voice! “It’s been a real struggle” being ill for the last six days of the campaign, he says.

Mr Dunne says it’s still too early to say how the night will go in his Ohariu-Belmont electorate, however he is currently leading by around 550 votes, and is feeling optimistic.

8:30pm

Trevor Mallard says he believes he is “very, very slightly ahead” in his Hutt South electorate, where recent boundary changes have swung the electorate more in favour of his National rival Chris Bishop.

However, Mr Mallard says there are still some big polling booths yet to be returned.

“There’s no comeback from losing here,” he says.

8:24pm

On the menu at the New Zealand First party: cheese platters, satay chicken and beef skewers, and spring rolls. There are about 40 people at the venue now, all buying a drinks and chatting away.

Party members are keeping the deal sweet, handing out small bags of black and white jellybeans.

8:18pm

The Conservative Party is currently sitting on 4.4 percent of the party vote – just shy of the 5 percent threshold needed for them to get MPs into Parliament.

The food seems at the North Shore Golf Club seem to be hitting the mark though:

8:15pm

Labour Party members and supporters are trickling into the New Lynn Community Centre tonight, as the country waits to find out who will lead New Zealand for the next three years.

Party leader David Cunliffe isn't expected to arrive at the venue until the final vote count is in much later in the night, although candidates including Phil Twyford, Carmel Sepuloni and Corie Haddock will be present earlier on.

Entertainment is being provided by Labour leader David Cunliffe’s second cousin, Tom Cunliffe, and his band Thirty Boots. Among their setlist? Sandi Thom’s ‘I wish I was a punk rocker’.

8:12pm

8:10pm

While it's still early days, National is leading the party vote in every Christchurch electorate.

Labour's candidates have the edge in Christchurch East, Wigram and the Port Hills, but other battleground seats appear to be going National's way.

National MP Nicky Wagner is out in front in Christchurch Central with a 682 vote lead over Labour's Tony Milne, while newcomer Matt Doocey has 651 votes over Labour's Clayton Cosgrove in Waimakariri.

Gerry Brownlee has an enormous early lead of almost 4000 votes over Labour's James Dann in Ilam.

8:03pm

7:51pm

The menu at National’s Auckland function – at the Viaduct Events Centre – includes Wagyu burger, braised lamb ribs and vegetarian tacos.

People are slowly starting to trickle into the waterfront venue, which is adorned with blue and white balloons.

National is currently sitting on 48 percent of the party vote – above the 44.5 percent they polled in the last 3 News Reid Research poll before the election.

7:45pm

New Zealand First has started with a bang, currently sitting on 9.15 percent of the party vote with 15.5 percent of the vote counted. Keep up to date with live results here.

At the party’s headquarters, the Spencer on Byron hotel on Auckland’s North Shore, supporters are expecting big results for the party.

Asked whether he would prefer a coalition with National or Labour, supporter Curwen Rolinson said he would want a third option for New Zealand First to go with the Greens. Everyone 3 News spoke with said they would love to see Mr Peters as the Deputy Prime Minister, because he "has the most experience". They also said he would make a good Finance Minister.

7:42pm

7:37pm

There are rain fade issues with the television at Internet Party HQ, The Cloud on Auckland’s waterfront.

“This is why we need the Internet Party in!” someone shouts.

Also being discussed at the Internet Party function - could Kim Dotcom’s role within the Internet Party be reconsidered after the election?

The party’s chief executive Vikram Kumar says attacks on the founder are something the party is going to have to deal with going into the future, and they can't brush them off lightly.

"Kim's got a formal role embedded in the rules. So until that changes - I'm not saying it will, but as long as that is the case, it's not possible to say he doesn't have a connection - clearly he does."

Mr Kumar is optimistic about the Internet Party’s chances tonight and predicts Hone Harawira will win Te Tai Tokerau, giving the Internet Party at least one MP in Parliament.

7:32pm

David Cunliffe and his wife Karen Price have delivered some sausages to media waiting outside their house, cooked by their youngest son Cameron. Mr Cunliffe says he’s got some wine and beer on standby too, just in case any of the journalists are feeling adventurous!

7:25pm

Labour's lowest-ranked list MP Simon Buckingham says being bottom of the list might not be the same as being at the top, but it sure beats being stuck in the middle.

"People look at the top and they look at the bottom, they take note of who you are and where you are,” he says. “You get a lot more say than you would if you were just lost in the middle somewhere or towards the bottom somewhere."

Read more from Simon Buckingham here.

7:23pm

7:18pm

Early results are already starting to filter in - 7.9 percent of the vote has been counted. Check out our live results infographics here, including projections for the number of seats each party will have in the house.

7:11pm

At Hopetoun Alpha on Auckland's Beresford St, the Greens are gearing up for a packed, celebrity-studded party.

The 400-capacity hall is expected to be completely filled with volunteers, candidates and celebrities including Lucy Lawless.

In true Greens’ fashion, the guest menu tonight is entirely vegan. The spread includes freshly made pumpkin hummus and tomato kasundi.

Also on the menu are potato, coconut and silverbeet samosas, Vietnamese spring rolls, lemongrass dipping sauce, dahl, popadoms and a fruit platter.

7:06pm

All systems are go in the 3 News master control room! The 3 News Decision 14 team is broadcasting to you from 14 live locations this evening and these are the people making sure it all goes smoothly! You can livestream our coverage by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

7pm

And we’re off! Counting of advance votes began this afternoon so the first interim results are expected relatively early. Around 20 percent of votes were cast early.

Election night parties around the country will be kicking off about now and we’ll bring you glimpses of what’s happening at all the major ones. Whose party will have the best food and entertainment? Who will be celebrating and who will be commiserating?

3 News

source: newshub archive