Māori Party forced out as electorates swing to Labour

Te Ururoa Flavell
Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell. Photo credit: Newshub.

The rise of Labour has forced the Māori Party out of Parliament. 

Māori Party candidates trail in all seven Māori electorates. 

The Māori Party has 1.1 percent of the party vote, so it needed an electorate seat win to enter Parliament.

Those votes have instead gone to Labour, whose candidates lead in all seven Māori electorates.

Waiariki

It was close in Waiariki, but former TV weather presenter Tamati Coffey is 1321 votes ahead, with 100 percent of the electorate's preliminary votes in.

Incumbent and Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell stood against Mr Coffey in Waiariki.

Mr Flavell was the only Māori Party candidate to win an electorate three years ago.

Te Tai Tonga

Labour's Rino Tirikatene has come away with a clear victory in the southern-most Māori electorate, which spans the entire South Island and encompasses part of Wellington. She has nearly twice the vote of the Greens' Metiria Turei.

It's signifcant that Ms Turei came in second in the electorate, with 4,448 votes.

Hauraki-Waikato

It's a huge win for Labour's Nanaia Mahuta in this seat.

With 99.1 percent of the vote in, Ms Mahuta was 7,398 votes ahead of the Māori Party's Stanley Rahui Papa.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti 

Labour's Meka Whaitiri has won this seat. She's the incumbent MP, challenged by Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox and Elizabeth Kerekere of the Greens.

With 100 percent of the vote counted, Ms Whaitiri had a strong 3796-vote lead on Ms Fox.

Tāmaki Makaurau

Labour's Peeni Henare won this seat in 2014 and he has won it again.

Māori Party's Shane Taurima was second with 4415 votes and the Green Party's Marama Davidson had 3204 with 97.9 percent of the vote counted.

Te Tai Hauāuru

Preliminary polling had newbie Māori Party candidate Howie Tamati ahead in this electorate, but he's ended up behind Labour’s Adrian Paki Rurawhe.

Te Tai Tokerau

Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis has won this seat with a strong lead - more than 4000 votes ahead of MANA's Hone Harawira.

The seat was Mr Harawira and MANA's attempt to re-enter Parliament, but like the Māori Party, Mr Harawira won't be returning to the House this time around.

Newshub.