Vote 2017: Minor parties trailing behind in tense election results

Suzie Dawson is leader of the Internet Party of New Zealand. SHe is currently living in Moscow in exile seeking political asylum after claiming GCSB illegaly spied on her and threatened her family

It always promised to be a tense stand off between Labour and National as election results began trickling in on Saturday night - but for some minor parties their fates have already been sealed.

A record 1.2 million people bucked Saturday voting day tradition and cast their votes early, and so far nearly all of those votes have been counted.

But as a nail biting standoff between the major parties ensues, some parties on the list have failed to get a single per cent age point.

Trailing at the bottom of the list is Suzie Dawson's Internet Party, which- so far- has received 182 of the nearly one million votes counted so far.

Dawson was named leader of the party earlier this year, after the party split from the previous election's Mana-Internet marriage.

Dawson is in self-imposed exile in Russia, where she is seeking asylum based on her claims she may have been spied on by the New Zealand government.

The party campaigned on its resistance to 'mass surveillance', and its belief every Kiwi should have internet access.

Slightly ahead in the results is the Democrats for Social Credit (313 votes), the New Zealand Outdoors Party (446 votes), and United Future- lead by Ryan Gosling look-alike Damien Light- on 592 votes.

Ahead of United Future was Mana (1240 vote), New Zealand People's Party (794), Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (1947 votes), and Ban 1080 (756 votes).