New Zealand election live blogging 1055GMT

Party vote summaries... in a Parliament of 121

Parties in Parliament

National rise from 44.93% in 2008 to 47.99% tonight 2 seat gain overall to 60.  Pleasing but disappointing compared to the polls.

Labour drop from 33.99% to 27.13% tonight 9 seat loss to 34. Gutting result, but could have been worse, nothing as bad as National's 2002 result of less than 21%

Greens rise from 6.72%  to 10.62% tonight 4 seat gain to 13.  Very pleasing for the Greens, would have liked more, but will now influence legislation substantially in select committees.

New Zealand first rise from 4.07% to 6.81% tonight. Re-enters Parliament with 8 MPs.  The comeback King, Winston Peters.  Written off constantly by a media which by mentioning him gave him electoral oxygen. 

Maori Party drop from 2.39% to 1.35% tonight.  2 seat loss to 3.  Has to be wary of seeing to support National too much, Maori vote dissipating to Mana and Labour.

ACT drop from 3.65% to 1.07% tonight. 4 seat loss to 1.  Devastating for ACT, much soul searching needed now.  ACT Board will need to decide whether Banks will lead or not.

Mana, first time standing. 1% retain single seat won in previous by-election.  Radical Maori separatist and Marxist vote now has a clear home.

United Future drop from 0.87% to 0.61% single seat retained.  One time significant coalition partner for Labour continuing to be a one man band in Ohariu.

Conclusion?  National will govern with United Future and ACT with a small majority, but will enter into confidence and supply agreement with Maori Party.

Parties outside Parliament

Conservative Party, first time standing. 2.76%.  Very credible result, must try to win NZ First voters over to try to cross the 5% threshold or spend up large in one seat.

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party Small gain from 0.41% to 0.48%.  Treading water with core supporters

Democrats for Social Credit small gain from 0.05% to 0.07%.  Clearly attracted a few more with the global financial crisis

Libertarianz small gain from 0.05% to 0.07%.  Did Banks turn some ACT voters towards Libz?

Alliance drop from 0.08% to 0.05%.  Far left voter bled to Mana and the Greens

Election 2011 - Live blogging - Libertarians results

Hamilton West - Tim Wikiriwhi (independent) 101 votes, 2nd last. 100% votes counted. Libertarianz 26 ahead of Alliance

Invercargill - Shane Pleasance 122 votes, last. 100% votes counted. Libertarianz 32 votes, ahead of Alliance

Kaikoura - Ian Hayes 115 votes, last. 100% votes counted. Libertarianz 22 votes, ahead of Alliance

Mana - Richard Goode (ALCP) 272 votes, 2nd last (ahead of ACT).  98.1% votes counted. Libertarianz 17 ahead of Alliance and Socred.  (ALCP 128 votes above Libz, Alliance, Socred)

Northcote - Peter Linton 60 votes, last.  100% votes counted.  Libertarianz 32 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Ohariu- Sean Fitzpatrick 96 votes.. 100% votes counted. Libertarianz 45 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Tamaki - Stephen Berry (independent) 139 votes. 100% votes counted.  22 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Wairarapa - Richard McGrath (Party Leader) 621 votes! ahead of ACT. 100% votes counted. 85 votes ahead of Alliance, Socred and Mana

Waitakere - Peter Osborne 44 votes. 98.1% votes counted.  25 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Wellington Central - Reagan Cutting  53 votes. 100% votes counted. 9th place (4th from bottom).  31 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Whangarei - Helen Hughes 93 votes. 100% votes counted. 30 votes ahead of Alliance.

Total party vote 1402, 30 short of Socred.  Improvement on 1176 in 2008.

New Zealand election live blogging 0945GMT

So the Nats will need Peter Dunne and John Banks to govern, that's fairly easy.   Dunne will want nothing other than his bureaucracy isn't closed,  Banks will want what exactly?

The Nats will negotiate an agreement with the Maori Party just to be sure, but beyond that it is insurance for the future.  The Maori Party would be critical in the following election, but its relationship with National has been costly in losing votes and two seats.

The Greens have their best ever result, as Labour voters went to the left, the Greens campaigned very cleverly and the media was complicit in giving them an easy ride.

NZ First re-emerges as the media Winston hates gave him the oxygen of publicity by treating him as an outcast, playing into his hands.  

Both the Greens and NZ First will bring new barely competent nobodies to Parliament, none of whom will face having to prove themselves in government.

ACT is virtually finished - the Banks strategy failed, miserably.  Don Brash could have campaigned much better, but this was a disaster because the Banks strategy split its support base and saw a massive distraction in Epsom.

The Mana Party is Hone, but he took votes from the Maori Party and so has reduced the overhang to one, helping the Nats.

Three more years of the same, with new conservative National MPs, and the middle muddle ground of mediocrity winning the day.  The victories are with boring no change National, radical Greens and the bigoted xenophobic populist NZ First.

Oh and you've kept MMP, the left will be thrilled, for despite all of the above, over 45% of the vote was for much more government.

The real fight for hearts and minds is far from won.

New Zealand election live blogging 0900GMT

A pattern has emerged in New Zealand elections.

If voters perceive a foregone conclusion for the major parties, voters for the second placed party desert it for others.  The Greens and NZ First have taken the soft headed voters on the left and the bigoted working class voters on the right.  Both will get hit when Labour improves next time.

Yet Labour hasn't experienced the rout that National did in 2002, not by a mile.  This result is akin to 1996, but it wont be enough to save Phil Goff

Largest silent winner is the Conservative Party, a credible 2.8% of the vote but no seats

ACT faces immediate infighting, John Banks wont be made leader although he'll expect to be.  That will kill the party

United Future is slowly dying, but Peter Dunne is hanging on.

Mana Party might just be Hone, it would be a travesty if Annette Sykes has a platform for her vileness.

However, the biggest joke has to be how MMP has delivered 13 Green MPs and 9 NZ First MPs.

National may lose West-Coast Tasman to Labour, but pick up two Christchurch seats.

Yet a small note of victory for Libertarianz, an increase in party votes.

New Zealand election live blogging (Libertarians results)

Hamilton West - Tim Wikiriwhi (independent) 38 votes,  second last.  Libertarianz (which he wasn't fighting for directly) with 10 votes, double that of the Alliance

Invercargill - Shane Pleasance a credible 95 votes, last. Libertarianz 25 votes neck and neck with the Alliance

Kaikoura - Ian Hayes 50 votes, last, Libertarianz 12 ahead of the Alliance

Mana - Richard Goode (ALCP) 103 votes ahead of ACT.  Libertarianz 5 ahead of Alliance and Socred

North Shore - Michael Murphy 40 votes, last. Libertarianz 13 votes, ahead of Alliance and Socred

Northcote - Peter Linton 25 votes, last. Libertarianz 14 votes ahead of Alliance and Socred

Ohariu - Sean Fitzpatrick 48 votes, last. Libertarianz 26 votes, ahead of Alliance, Socred and Mana

Tamaki - Stephen Berry (independent) 57 votes, last.  Libertarianz 2 votes ahead of Socred (!)

Wairarapa - Richard McGrath 402 votes, ahead of ACT.  Libertarianz 65 votes ahead of Alliance, Socred and Mana

Waitakere - Peter Osborne 8 votes, last.  Libertarianz 3 votes, ahead Alliance , Scored

Wellington Central - Reagan Cutting 16 votes 2nd last equal.  Libertarianz 6 votes, ahead of Socred

Whangarei - Helen Hughes 47 votes, last.  Libertarianz  13 votes, ahead of Alliance

overall? 816 votes with 60% counted, definitely an improvement on 2008