You've got two ticks on the ballot paper. One chooses your local MP. The other largely determines how many seats your chosen party gets, if it qualifies.
I work through the room-of-chairs example, the 5% or one-electorate rule, why TOP received more than 63,000 votes but no MPs in 2023, and how ACT qualified below 5% in 2008. Then we get to the part after election night: who can put together the support to govern.
You can give both votes to the same party or split them. What matters is understanding what each tick does. These are examples of the rules, not recommendations about who to vote for.
For the 2026 election, check your enrolment at https://vote.nz.
You need to be enrolled by midnight Sunday 25 October, New Zealand time. Advance voting in New Zealand starts Monday 26 October. Election day is Saturday 7 November.
Source links for the voting rules, dates and historical results are below. Check vote.nz for current enrolment and voting information.
Voting and enrolment: https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/voting-in-the-election/what-to-do?lang=en-NZ
2026 key dates: https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/about/overview/key-dates
How MPs are elected: https://elections.nz/democracy-in-nz/what-is-new-zealands-system-of-government/how-are-mps-elected
2023 official results: https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/index.html
2008 official party totals: https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2008/partystatus.html
2008 Epsom result: https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2008/electorate-12.html
Government formation: https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-units/cabinet-office/supporting-work-cabinet/cabinet-manual/6-elections-transitions-and-government-formation/government-formation
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