Alliance wiped out as Harre concedes Waitakere

By ANNE BESTON

10.15pm UPDATE - With a brave smile and clutching a bouquet of flowers, Alliance leader Laila Harre conceded defeat for herself and her party tonight.

While the Alliance leader managed to smile throughout her concession speech, supporters including press secretary Claire Hall could not stop the tears from flowing.

Ms Harre thanked her supporters and party candidates and said the party now had a rebuilding job on its hands.

"We will keep rebuilding and campaigning outside Parliament with others who believe in the progressive left."

She did not know what her immediate plans would be but said she would be "looking at the employment situation".

She took a swipe at former Alliance leader Jim Anderton saying the bitter split in the party had hurt its electoral chances. But she said she had not given Mr Anderton a thought tonight.

She said there was no guarantee of a centre-left government because there was a danger Labour would move to the right without the Alliance on its left flank.

Surrounded by her husband, her two sons and 100 cheering supporters, Ms Harre said the campaign in Waitakere had not failed and the vote had swung "massively" from 11per cent in the first days of the campaign to around 30 per cent.

Ms Harre had not conceded defeat to Labour rival Lynn Pillay by 10pm.

"That shows how gracious I'm feeling."

Full election results