| Election Name: | 2002 New Zealand general election |
| Turnout: | 2,055,404 (76.98%) 7.79% |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1999 New Zealand general election |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Outgoing Members: | 46th New Zealand Parliament |
| Next Election: | 2005 New Zealand general election |
| Next Year: | 2005 |
| Seats For Election: | All 120 seats in the House of Representatives |
| Majority Seats: | 61 |
| Elected Mps: | members |
| Opinion Polls: | Opinion polling for the 2002 New Zealand general election |
| 1Blank: | Electorate vote |
| 3Blank: | Party vote |
| Leader1: | Helen Clark |
| Leader Since1: | 1 December 1993 |
| Party1: | New Zealand Labour Party |
| Leaders Seat1: | Mount Albert |
| Last Election1: | 49 seats, 38.74% |
| Seats1: | 52 |
| Seat Change1: | 3 |
| 1Data1: | 891,866 44.69% 2.94 |
| 3Data1: | 838,219 41.26% 2.52 |
| Leader2: | Bill English |
| Leader Since2: | 8 October 2001 |
| Party2: | New Zealand National Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | Clutha-Southland |
| Last Election2: | 39 seats, 30.50% |
| Seats2: | 27 |
| Seat Change2: | 12 |
| 1Data2: | 609,458 30.54% 1.38 |
| 3Data2: | 425,310 20.93% 9.57 |
| Leader3: | Winston Peters |
| Leader Since3: | 18 July 1993 |
| Party3: | New Zealand First |
| Leaders Seat3: | Tauranga |
| Last Election3: | 5 seats, 4.26% |
| Seats3: | 13 |
| Seat Change3: | 8 |
| 1Data3: | 79,380 3.98% 0.21 |
| 3Data3: | 210,912 10.38% 6.12 |
| Leader4: | Richard Prebble |
| Leader Since4: | 26 March 1996 |
| Party4: | ACT New Zealand |
| Leaders Seat4: | List |
| Last Election4: | 9 seats, 7.04% |
| Seats4: | 9 |
| Seat Change4: | 0 |
| 1Data4: | 70,888 3.55% 0.97 |
| 3Data4: | 145,078 7.14% 0.10 |
| Leader5: | Rod Donald Jeanette Fitzsimons |
| Leader Since5: | 21 May 1995 |
| Party5: | Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand |
| Leaders Seat5: | List List (lost Coromandel) |
| Last Election5: | 7 seats, 5.16% |
| Seats5: | 9 |
| Seat Change5: | 2 |
| 1Data5: | 106,717 5.35% 1.14 |
| 3Data5: | 142,250 7.00% 1.84 |
| Leader6: | Peter Dunne |
| Leader Since6: | 16 November 2000 |
| Party6: | United Future New Zealand |
| Leaders Seat6: | Ohariu-Belmont |
| Last Election6: | 1 seat, 1.65%a |
| Seats6: | 8 |
| Seat Change6: | 7 |
| 1Data6: | 92,484 4.63% 2.59 |
| 3Data6: | 135,918 6.69% 5.04 |
| Leader7: | Jim Anderton |
| Leader Since7: | 27 July 2002 |
| Party7: | New Zealand Progressive Party |
| Leaders Seat7: | Wigram |
| Last Election7: | Not yet founded |
| Seats7: | 2 |
| Seat Change7: | 2 |
| 1Data7: | 36,647 1.84% new |
| 3Data7: | 34,542 1.70% new |
| Leader8: | Laila Harré |
| Leader Since8: | 20 April 2002 |
| Party8: | Alliance (New Zealand political party) |
| Leaders Seat8: | List (lost seat) |
| Last Election8: | 10 seats, 7.74% |
| Seats8: | 0 |
| Seat Change8: | 10 |
| 1Data8: | 33,655 1.69% 5.21 |
| 3Data8: | 25,888 1.27% 6.47 |
| Map Size: | 450px |
| Prime Minister | |
| Posttitle: | Subsequent Prime Minister |
| Before Election: | Helen Clark |
| After Election: | Helen Clark |
| Before Party: | New Zealand Labour Party |
| After Party: | New Zealand Labour Party |
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party (the 2020 election would see it suffer a greater defeat in terms of net loss of seats).
A controversial issue in the election campaign was the end of a moratorium on genetic engineering, strongly opposed by the Green Party. Some commentators have claimed that the tension between Labour and the Greens on this issue was a more notable part of the campaign than any tension between Labour and its traditional right-wing opponents. The release of Nicky Hager's book Seeds of Distrust prior to the election also sparked much debate. The book examined how the government handled the contamination of a shipment of imported corn with genetically modified seeds. Helen Clark called the Greens "goths and anarcho-feminists" during the campaign.
On 12 June the government announced that the country would have a general election on 27 July. This was several months earlier than was required, a fact which caused considerable comment. The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, claimed that an early poll was necessary due to the collapse of her junior coalition partner, the Alliance. Critics, however, claimed that Clark could have continued to govern, and that the early election was called to take advantage of Labour's strong position in the polls.[1] Some commentators believe that a mixture of these factors was responsible.
Before the election, the Labour Party held 49 seats in parliament. It governed in coalition with the smaller (and more left-wing) Alliance, which had 10 seats. It also relied on support from the Greens, but this was a largely informal arrangement, and the Greens were not a part of the administration itself. Opposing Labour were the National Party (centre-right), United Future (centrist), New Zealand First (populist), ACT New Zealand (free-market). Many opinion polls for the election indicated that Labour was popular enough to conceivably win an absolute majority, leaving it able to govern without the support of smaller parties. Labour's dominance over National was such that for many people, the question was not whether Labour would win, but whether Labour would receive the absolute majority it sought.
Eleven MPs, including two Alliance MPs, six National MPs, and two Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 46th Parliament.
| Party | Name | Electorate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance | (List) | ||
| (List) | |||
| (List) | |||
| National | Hunua | ||
| (List) | |||
| Rakaia | |||
| (List) | |||
| (List) | |||
| (List) | |||
| Labour | Napier | ||
| (List) | |||
| Otaki | |||
There were 2,670,030 registered voters, the highest number for any election in New Zealand. However, only 77% of these registered voters chose to cast a vote, a considerable drop from previous elections. Many commentators cited Labour's dominance in the polls as a reason for this low turnout. Many people saw the outcome as inevitable, and so did not bother to vote at all.
In the election 683 candidates stood, and there were 14 registered parties with party lists. Of the candidates, 433 were electorate and list, 160 were electorate only, and 90 were list only. 71% of candidates (487) were male and 29% (196) female.[2] [3]
As most people expected, Labour was victorious. It did not, however, receive an absolute majority, gaining only 52 seats (eight seats short of the half-way mark). Labour's former coalition partner, the Alliance (which had splintered shortly before the election), was not returned to parliament. However, the new Progressive Coalition (now the Progressive Party) started by former Alliance leader Jim Anderton won two seats, and remained allied with Labour. The Greens, who were now distanced from Labour over the genetic engineering controversy, gained nine seats (an increase of two).
In general, it was a bad election for the parties of the right. The National Party, once referred to as "the natural party of government", suffered its worst-ever electoral defeat, gaining only 21% of the vote. ACT New Zealand, National's more right-wing neighbour, failed to capitalise on the exodus of National supporters, retaining the same number of seats as before. Instead, the most notable gains among opposition parties were made by two centrist parties. One of these was Winston Peters's New Zealand First, a populist and nationalist party opposed to immigration. Strong campaigning by Peters allowed the party to recover from its serious losses in the 1999 election. The other was United Future New Zealand party, a centrist party based on a merger of the United Party and the Future New Zealand party – primarily due to the performance of leader Peter Dunne, the party shot from having one seat to having eight seats.
Once the final distribution of seats was determined, it was clear that Labour would be at the centre of the government, and that it would be allied with the Progressives. However, this still left Labour needing support in matters of confidence and supply, as the two parties together fell short of an absolute majority. Labour expressed a preference for an "agreement" rather than a full coalition, hoping to establish an arrangement similar to the one that existed with the Greens prior to the election. Three realistic choices existed for a partner – the Greens, United Future, and New Zealand First. Labour had repeatedly ruled out deals with New Zealand First during the election campaign, and reaffirmed this soon after the election, leaving just the Greens and United Future as candidates. After a period of negotiation, Labour opted to ally with United Future, being unwilling to change their genetic engineering policies to secure the Green Party's support.
Labour and the Progressives remained in power, with support in confidence and supply votes from United Future.
| colspan=12 align=center| |- style="text-align:center;"! colspan=2 rowspan=2 style="width:213px;" | Party! Colspan=3 | Party vote! Colspan=3 | Electorate vote! Colspan=4 | Seats|- style="text-align:center;"! Votes! %! Change
(pp)! Votes! %! Change
(pp)! List! Electorate! Total! +/-|-| | 838,219| 41.26| 2.52| 891,866| 44.69| 2.94| 7| 45| 52| 3|-| | 425,310| 20.93| 9.57| 609,458| 30.54| 1.38| 6| 21| 27| 12|-| | 210,912| 10.38| 6.12| 79,380| 3.98| 0.21| 12| 1| 13| 8|-| | 145,078| 7.14| 0.10| 70,888| 3.55| 0.97| 9| 0| 9| |-| | 142,250| 7.00| 1.84| 106,717| 5.35| 1.14| 9| 0| 9| 2|-| | 135,918| 6.69| 5.04a| 92,484| 4.63| 2.59a| 7| 1| 8| 7|-| | 34,542| 1.70| new| 36,647| 1.84| new| 1| 1| 2| new|-| | 27,492| 1.35| 1.03| 40,810| 2.05| 0.14| 0| 0| 0| |-| | 25,985| 1.28| new| —| —| —| 0| 0| 0| new|-| | 25,888| 1.27| 6.47| 33,655| 1.69| 5.21| 0| 0| 0| 10|-|
| 12,987| 0.64| 0.46| 3,397| 0.17| 0.17| 0| 0| 0| |-|| 4,980| 0.25| | 8,130| 0.41| 0.22|| 0| 0| |-|| 1,782| 0.09| 0.03| 2,617| 0.13| 0.12| 0| 0| 0| |-|| 274| 0.01| 0.04| —| —| 0.03| | 0| 0| |-|| —| —| 0.29| 672| 0.03| 0.03| 0| 0| 0| |-| style="background-color:#ffffff" || style="text-align:left;" |Unregistered parties| —| —| —| 3,821| 0.19| 0.08| 0| 0| 0| |-| | —| —| —| 14,927| 0.75| 0.37| 0| 0| 0| |-! colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" |Valid votes! 2,031,617! 98.84! 1.74! 1,995,586! 97.09! 0.84! Colspan=4 ||-| colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Informal vote| 8,631| 0.42| 0.51| 26,529| 1.29| 0.49| Colspan=4 ||-| colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Disallowed votes| 15,156| 0.74| 1.23| 33,289| 1.62| 0.35| Colspan=5 ||-! colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Total! 2,055,404! 100!! 2,055,404! 100!! 51! 69! 120!|-| colspan=2 style="text-align:left;" | Eligible voters and Turnout| 2,670,030| 76.98| 7.79| 2,670,030| 76.98| 7.79| Colspan=4 ||}
Labour also dominated in the seven Maori seats. National gained second place in only one Maori electorate, with Labour's main rivals being the Mana Maori Movement, the Greens, and the Alliance.
Of the minor parties, only three managed to win electorates, mostly due to the strong personal following of the incumbents. United Future leader Peter Dunne retained his strong support in the Wellington electorate of Ohariu-Belmont, while New Zealand First leader Winston Peters retained Tauranga. Progressive leader Jim Anderton retained the Christchurch seat of Wigram, which he had formerly held as leader of the Alliance.
The table below shows the results of the 2002 general election:
Key:
|-| colspan="8" style="background:#eee; text-align:center;"| Māori electorates|-! Electorate !! colspan=2 | Incumbent !! colspan=2 | Winner !! Majority !! colspan=2 | Runner-up|-|}
See main article: Party lists in the 2002 New Zealand general election.
MPs returned via party lists, and unsuccessful candidates, were as follows:[4] [5]| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | Labour | width=67% bgcolor=#FFE8E8 | Michael Cullen Jonathan Hunt1 Margaret Wilson Graham Kelly1 Helen Duncan Dave Hereora Ashraf Choudhary | |
| Unsuccessful: Moana Mackey2, Lesley Soper2, Carol Beaumont, Max Purnell, David Shearer, Gill Boddy-Greer, Brendon Burns, Louisa Wall, David Maka, Hamish McCracken, Eamon Daly, Lesley Harry, Brenda Lowe-Johnson, Steven Ching, Leila Boyle, John Cheesman, Richard Pole, Paul Gibson, Margaret Hayward, Di Nash, Denise Mackenzie, Judy Hawkins, Dinesh Tailor, Kath Peebles, Mike Mora, Yani Johanson, Nathan Saminathan, Ola Kamel, Jan Noonan, Maureen Waaka, Lyndsay Rackley, Wayne Hawker | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | National | width=67% bgcolor=#DDEEFF | Roger Sowry David Carter Don Brash Georgina te Heuheu Pansy Wong Katherine Rich | |
| Unsuccessful: Hekia Parata, Gavan Herlihy, Bob Simcock, Allan Peachey, Sue Wood, Guy Salmon, Alec Neill, Belinda Vernon, Anne Tolley, Eric Roy, Arthur Anae, Ian Buchanan, Greg White, Marie Hasler, Annabel Young, Eric Liu, Tau Henare, Chester Borrows, Nicky Wagner, Leanne Jensen-Daines, Tim Macindoe, Wayne Marriott, Dan Gordon, Jeremy Sole, George Ngatai, Dale Stephens, Craig Foss, Glenda Hughes, Dave Scott, Weston Kirton, Hamuera Mitchell, Enosa Auva'a, Sylvia Taylor, Barry Nicolle, Paul Foster, Mita Harris, Brent Trewheela, Raewyn Bhana, Bill Karaitiana, Geoff Horton, Rodney Williams, Alan Delamere, Peter O'Brien, Rod O'Beirne | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | New Zealand First | width=67% bgcolor=#D5D5D5 | Peter Brown Brian Donnelly Ron Mark Doug Woolerton Barbara Stewart Pita Paraone Craig McNair Jim Peters Dail Jones Edwin Perry Bill Gudgeon Brent Catchpole | |
| Unsuccessful: Rob Harris, Dawn Mullins, Brett Webster, Gordon Stewart, Fletcher Tabuteau, Bob Daw, Dave Mackie, John Riley, John Bryce Geary | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | ACT | width=67% bgcolor=#FFFF80 | Richard Prebble Rodney Hide Muriel Newman Stephen Franks Donna Awatere Huata2 Deborah Coddington Ken Shirley Gerry Eckhoff Heather Roy | |
| Unsuccessful: Kenneth Wang1, Paul King, Owen Jennings, Penny Webster, Andrew Davies, Dick Quax, Nigel Mattison, David Edward Olsen, Willie James Martin, Mary Hackshaw, John Thompson, Lech Beltowski, Joanne Reeder, Nicholas Cairney, Bruce Williams, Gerald Trass, Andrew Jollands, Bryce Bevin, Ron Scott, Dianne Mulcock, Shirley Marshall, Juanita Angell, John Peters, Glen Snelgar, Matt Ball, Ray Bassett, Carl Beentjes, Michael Coote, Brian George Dawson, Dianne Dawson, Ted Erskine-Legget, Simon Anthony Ewing-Jarvie, Ted Howard, Elizabeth Hurley, Dorothy King, Chris Newman, Chris O'Brien, Julie Pepper, Peter Phiskie, John Riddell, Robin Roodt, Ian Sage, Greg Sneddon, Graham Douglas Steenson, Ian Swan, Peter Talbot-King, Anthony Watson, John Waugh, Roland Weber, Trevor West, Smilie Wood | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | Greens | width=67% bgcolor=#CCFFCC | Jeanette Fitzsimons Rod Donald Sue Bradford Nándor Tánczos Sue Kedgley Ian Ewen-Street Keith Locke Metiria Turei Mike Ward | |
| Unsuccessful: Catherine Delahunty, Roland Sapsford, Meriel Anne Watts, Jon Carapiet, Richard Davies, Celia Wade-Brown, Cathy Olsen, Russel Norman, Janine McVeagh, Steffan Browning, Dayle Belcher, Kei Clendon, Craig Potton, David Musgrave, Deborah Martin, Te Ruruanga Te Keeti, Steve Abel, Sarah Millington, Calvin Green, Caro Henckels, Fliss Butcher, Peter Berger, Hana Blackmore, Gareth Bodle, Paul Bruce, Craig Carson, Terry Creighton, Jan Davey, Paul de Spa, Pip Direen, Ian Douglas, Gaye Dyson, Jeanette Elley, Don Fairley, Nick Fisher, Jo Francis, Richard Green, Caroline Greig, Lois Griffiths, Perce Harpham, David Hill, Laurie Hoverd, Stephen Lee, Kate Lowe, Paul Lowe, Rachel Mackintosh, Mary McCammon, Margaret McKenzie, Olivia Mitchell, Matt Morris, Chris Norton-Brown, Fraser Palmer-Hesketh, Di Pennell, David Rose, Christiaan Briggs, Jane Williams | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | United Future | width=67% bgcolor=#F9D9F9 | Gordon Copeland Bernie Ogilvy Marc Alexander Murray Smith Larry Baldock Judy Turner Paul Adams | |
| Unsuccessful: Kelly Chal*, Wayne Chapman, Andrew Kubala, Gray Eatwell, Bruce McGrail, Hassan Hosseini, Craig Hunt, Kevin Harper, Russell Judd, Anne Drake, Ian McInnes, Graham Butterworth, Andrea Deeth, Cindy Ruakere, Chris Bretton, Susanne Fellner, Jim Howard, Martyn Seddon, Tom Smithers, Ross Tizard, Grant Bowater, Steve Taylor, Graham Turner, Dave Fitness, Paul Duxbury, Richard Carter, Lee Edmonds, Stephen Russell, Sharee Adams, Lee Robertson, Rachel Smithers, Rob Moodie, Witana Murray, Frank Owen, Graeme Torckler, Denis Gilmore, Andrew Smith, Tony Bunting, Graeme Barr, James Te Kahupuku Hippolite, Mike Mitcalfe, Stephanie McEwin, Bruce Settle, Peter Collins, Todd Whitcombe, Joy Lietze, Gray Phillips, Chris Collier, Allan Smellie, Jesse O'Brien, Julee Smith-Mischeski, Vince Smith, Dennis Wells | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 rowspan=2 align=center | Progressive | width=67% bgcolor=#FFEECC | Matt Robson | |
| Unsuccessful: Grant Gillon, John Wright, Stephnie de Ruyter, Peter Campbell, Rosie Brown, Meng Ly, Susi Pa'o Williams, Jill Henry, Phil Clearwater, David Angus Wilson, Sue Elizabeth Wharewaka-Topia Watts, Pasene Tauialo-o-Lilimaiava, Nong Li, John Pemberton, Bruce Parr, Vivienne Shepherd, Trevor Lance Barnard, Russell Franklin, Annette Anderson, Adrian James Bayly, Victor Bradley, Lyndsay Brock, Robert Bryan, Christine Cheesman, Fleur Churton, David Culverhouse, Jamie Daly, Clare Dickson, Bob Fox, Russell Edwards, David Espin, Bill Henderson, Steven Charles Ihaia, Frede Jorgensen, Te Pare Joseph, Doreen Henderson, Toni Jowsey, Peter David Kane, C Kerr, John Kilbride, Martin Lawrence, Doug McCallum, Philippa Main, John Neill, Garry Oster, Ram Parkash, Dawn Patchett, Bob Peck, Jim Medland, Rob Shirley, Lynley Simmons, Heather Marion Smith, Arthur Toms, Gillian Dance, Hessel Van Wieren, Ross Weddell, Roger White, Barry Pulford | ||||
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | Christian Heritage | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Graham Capill, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Vic Pollard, Dick Holland, Vic Jarvis, Gerald Barker, Ken Munn, Roger Payne, Ruth Jarvis, Nick Barber, Gavin Denby, Chris Salt, Ian Cummings, Grant Bradfield, McGregor Simpson, Rod Harris, Margaret Burgess, Mike Ferguson, Matthew Flannagan, Madeline Jane Flannagan | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | Outdoor Recreation | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Lester Phelps, David O'Neill, Paul Check, Warren Sinclair, Henry Willems, Peter Ellery, Edwin Sylva, James Cook, Peter Gibbons, Michael Holmes, James Rudd, Harry Bimler | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | Alliance | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Laila Harré, Willie Jackson, Matt McCarten, Liz Gordon, Tricia Cutforth, Gerard Hehir, Vern Winitana, Rebecca Matthews, Mike Treen, Naida Glavish, Robert Reid, Jill Ovens, Sam Huggard, Janice Panoho-Smith, Vernon Iosefa Tile, Julie Fairey, Gavin MacLean, Carolyn Payne-Harker, Kamaka Manuel, Mary-Ellen O'Connor, Maxine Boag, Moira Lawler, Len Richards, Ravaani Ghaemmaghamy, John Tuwhakairiora Tibble, Anna McMartin, Anna Sutherland, Hayley Rawhiti, Joseph Randall, Sean Gourley, Peter Wheeler, Val McClimont, Margaret Jeune, Dion Martin, Paula Henderson, Brendon Lane, Peter Jamieson, Fiona McLaren, Solly Southwood, Michael Gilchrist, Paul Protheroe, Justin Wilson, Karl Bartleet, Richard Wallis, Simon Shields, Craig Willis, Helen Mackinlay, Robert Van Ruyssevelt | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | Legalise Cannabis | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Michael Appleby, Michael Britnell, Irinka Britnell, Dave Moore, Christine Mitchell, Jeanette Saxby, Paul John Michael McMullan, Judy Daniels, Judy Matangi, Paula Lambert, Sugra Morley, Peter Green | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | Mana Maori | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Angeline Greensill, Ken Mair, Glenis Philip-Barbara, Tame Iti, Jacqui Amohanga, Rihi Vercoe, Mere Takoko, Tanima Bernard, Colleen Skerrett-White, Piripi Haami, Ngahape Lomax, Sharon Pehi-Barlow | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | One New Zealand | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: John Porter, Jim White, Alan McCulloch, Janet White, Richard Fisher, David Moat, Walter Christie, Gill Edwards, Peter Grove, John Bull | |
| width=33% bgcolor=#E5E5E5 align=center | NMP | width=67% bgcolor=#EEEEEE | Unsuccessful: Mark Atkin, Brett Kenneth Gifkins |