A blue sea of change is in sight for Auckland as even traditional Labour seats such as Mt Roskill and New Lynn looking like they are going to flip to National.
Mt Roskill looks set to turn blue tonight with 83.1 per cent of the votes counted. National Party’s Carlos Cheung is ahead of Labour MP Michael Wood by 1498 votes.
A loss could see Wood lose his seat in Parliament altogether.
National’s Melissa Lee and Labour’s Helen White are neck and neck in Mt Albert. Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern previously held the seat.
Labour MP Helen White’s margin for Mt Albert has just increased to 108. It is a last-dash race between Labour and National with 86.4 per cent of the votes counted.
In Maungakiekie, another Labour-held Auckland seat, National’s Greg Fleming has opened up a more than 3500-vote lead over Labour incumbent Priyanca Radhakrishnan.
In New Lynn, National’s Paulo Garcia holds a more than 700 vote lead over incumbent Labour MP Deborah Russell with 77 per cent of the vote counted.
In Te Atatū, Angee Nicholas continues to hold a 184-vote lead over Labour incumbent Phil Twyford.
Despite the blue wave, National looks to lose Tāmaki for the first time since 1957.
Tāmaki has been held by socially conservative Simon O’Connor since 2011, who is No 54 on National’s list.
Act deputy leader Brooke Van Velden has claimed victory in Tāmaki, the party hoping to grab a second electorate in the Auckland region alongside leader David Seymour’s Epsom seat.
With 91 per cent of the preliminary vote counted, Van Velden has a 4488 vote-lead over O’Connor.
Speaking from the Act HQ, van Velden said: “I’m committed to continuing to listen to people as I serve as the MP for Tamaki.”
Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick has again won Auckland Central, only the second electorate seat the Green Party has held after Jeanette Fitzsimons won Coromandel in 1999.
Swarbrick is leading with 1894 margin with 80.2 per cent of the votes counted. Her closest rival is National’s Mahesh Muralidhar, who is No 43 on National’s list.
Act Party deputy leader and Tāmaki candidate Brooke van Velden.
National holds a huge majority in Upper Harbour, with Cameron Brewer holding a 8092 vote-lead on Labour’s Vanushi Walters, that’s with 80.6 per cent of the votes counted.
Māngere looks to be held by Labour with 74 per cent of the votes counted, Lemauga Sosene is in the lead by a margin of 6020 votes.
The Māori electorate of Hauraki-Waikato has seen senior Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta concede to Te Pati Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
In the North Shore seat, National’s Simon Watts has won with a massive victory and margin of 12,818.
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