NZ election results live: 0800 GMT

Well it would be fair to say John Key will be the next Prime Minister. You can't have this proportion of votes counted and the gap remaining more than 10%

National 48% noticing how it is drifting downwards? Yes, watch that, watch Dunne looking insecure and the Maori Party may be looking more and more important
Labour 31.8% a long long way behind and without Winston, little chance of winning now.
NZF 4.3% comfortably fading away
Greens 6.3% picking up
ACT 3.6% will be reasonably happy

Libz 269!

Ohariu - Dunne must be worrying, this is a three way race with Chauvel and Shanks.

Hamilton West looking solidly National
Maungakiekie neck and neck Labour/National
Waitakere neck and neck Labour/National
New Plymouth isn't that wild about Harry, Nats looking good here
Pansy Wong well ahead in Botany
Waimakariri back to Labour
Wellington Central back to Labour
Palmerston North back to Labour

Maori seats look like status quo, but Te Tai Tonga is neck and neck Maori/Labour. This seat is critical, as it would create another seat in Parliament. 122 rather than 121 seats makes it harder for Key to create an easy majority.

NZ election results live: 0745 GMT

The question at this stage has to be, who will the Nats govern with

Nats 48.7% tracking down ever so slowly
NZF 4.4% tracking down! Yes yes!
ACT holding 3.8%
United Future dropping to 0.8%

Bill and Ben at 1534 votes!
Libz 195, starting to leave the communists behind and catching up with the Social Credit nutters
ALCP doing well too

Electorates

Dunne challenged well as Chauvel and Shanks are running neck and neck for second, but not far behind Dunne, but he should be safe
Rimutaka and Wellington Central cliffhangers

Labour has been badly hit in many electorates, this election looks like a cleanout of the left

NZ election results live: 0730 GMT

Nats 49%
Lab 31.2%
Greens 6.1% (have to be hoping better than this)
NZF 4.5% (easing back thank god)
ACT 3.4% remaining steady
Maori 2.1%

Bill and Ben 824 votes, 9th biggest party! MacGillicuddies reborn (in the joke vote category)

The left vote is definitely well down, but remember 2005, Labour pulled through at the end.

Worth noting the lunatic left Auckland based RAM is doing appallingly badly.

West Coast Tasman remains with National narrowly ahead
Maungakiekie a core Labour seat looking very close.
Rimutaka narrowly Labour
Maori seats have Te Tai Tonga going from Labour to Maori Party, but hardly a clean sweep

National still leading in most the seats I listed before:
Auckland Central
Hamilton West
New Plymouth
Otaki
Palmerston North
Rotorua
Taupo
Waimakariri
Waitakere

Libz 137 finally ahead of the communist Workers' Party!

NZ election results live: 0715 GMT

Far too early to tell, but the Nats and ACT may be able to form a government, but the key looks like the Maori seats. Maori Party might pick up Te Tai Tonga, and its party vote isn't doing that well.

48.7% National (still low in my view to govern very happily)
31.4% Labour (low but will pick up)
6.2% Greens (so you want your kids protected from light)
4.6% NZ First (got to hope Auckland voters will knock this down)
3.3% ACT (good effort, but likely to dribble down)

Prebble on Radio NZ saying too early to tell in Auckland Central. 14% swing needed for Kaye to take it. RNZ saying she got a lot of publicity, partly because she is young and pretty!
Wellington Central has Stephen Franks ahead but far too early to tell.

Prebble says foreign sounding names don't do well in NZ! I think he IS right, but with MMP this effect is reduced.

Other electorates to note - Rimutaka is neck and neck Labour/National as is Wellington Central - either would be the first Wellington electorate going National if you exclude Wairarapa.

Libz 109, damned communists ahead!

NZ election results live: 0700 GMT

NZ First fourth! Don't write NZ First off yet, Winston wont win his seat, but 4.6% is perilously close to the threshold.

Kiwi Party is getting close to the Jim Anderton and Peter Dunne parties, both of which are one man shows with 5% counted.

Libz hit 100 votes :) which should mean a substantial increase in vote compared to 2005 if translated evenly.

ACT's 3.28% looks like Sir Roger Douglas will be worrying the Nats

Nats 48.6% vs Lab 31.5%

Electorates have Nats ahead in many Labour seats:
Auckland Central
Hamilton West
New Plymouth
Otaki
Palmerston North
Rotorua
Taupo
Waimakariri
Waitakere