Election 2020: Whanganui, Te Tai Hauāuru and Rangitīkei results

Voters have had their say in Election 2020.

Welcome to the Whanganui Chronicle's coverage of election night 2020.

Follow this page for the latest updates.

We'll be covering the Whanganui, Te Tai Hauāuru and Rangitīkei electorate results as they happen.

Whanganui

With 99.1 per cent of the vote counted in Whanganui, Labour's Steph Lewis has beaten National incumbent Harete Hipango by more than 6821 votes.

Lewis has arrived at the her campaign gathering at the Grand Hotel.

She said she had been "sitting on the sidelines" today which "wasn't easy thing" for her to do.

"My team has been out today making sure everyone knows it's election day, and that the polls were open till 7pm," Lewis said.

Whanganui Labour candidate Steph Lewis has arrived at her campaign HQ at the Grand Hotel. Photo / Mike Tweed

"I got my hair done, and I've spent a bit of time of time with family.

"It's all surreal at the moment to be back here on election night, and it's been a long journey.

"It has been a long journey to get here tonight, especially with that four week extension, but I'm so proud of my team . They have dug really, really deep, and they have pulled out all the stops.

"No matter what happens tonight we know we have given it our absolute all."

Hipango says she's been humbled by people who have come to know her and who she's come to know.

"I'm grateful, and although it isn't the result we were hoping for, I'm not sad for me, I'm concerned for the direction that our country is going in.

National's Harete Hipango has lost her Whanganui seat after one term. Photo / Bevan Conley

"I'm resilient, and we as New Zealanders are resilient."

Hipango told the Chronicle that she didn't have any regrets, and that it was "a massive learning curve".

"I'm still a member of the National Party but based on the results that have come through, I'm not a member of parliament.

"My concern is that people will start to see over the next 12 to 18 months, the reality kicking in. We went into lockdown and that brought some hardships for many people, and many more people are going to encounter and endure more serious hardships. That's my concern.

"I've made many friends on this journey and that's not going to change."

Green candidate for Whanganui Alan Clay said he was having a party at his house this evening.

"We're having a great time here," he said.

Voters have had their say in Election 2020.

"Steph seems to be doing really well at the moment, and I was actually leading for the first 20 minutes or so, which I thought was pretty impressive."

Clay said he had spent his day "cleaning his house and moving things around" in preparation for the party, followed by a spa bath.

Tai Hauāuru

With 78.9 per cent of the vote counted in Te Tai Hauāuru incumbent Labour candidate Adrian Rurawhe holds a narrow 675-vote lead over the Māori Party's Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

Rurawhe supporters have already arrived at the Te Tai Hauāuru Labour HQ in Ratana.

Rurawhe said he was feeling confident he'll retain the seat.

Te Tai Hauāuru Māori Party candidate Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is in Hāwera for election night. Photo / Bevan Conley

"I'm the most calm in the team," he said.

Rurawhe said the party vote swing to Labour felt "pretty good."

"It's hard to say if it will continue through the night," he said.

Ngarewa-Packer said she was feeling great heading into the night.

Labour's Te Tai Hauāuru candidate Adrian Rurawhe keeps an eye on results in Ratana. Photo / Lewis Gardner

She said she spent the morning on a run, before returning home to "do the washing."

"I think it's way too soon to say if anyone is behind or ahead," she said.

"We came into this trying to revive a party. I'm feeling really great."

Rangitīkei

With 99.4 per cent of the votes counted National's Ian McKelvie has won Rangitīkei with a
2318 margin over Labour's Rangitīkei candidate Soraya Peke-Mason.

McKelvie said the race for the Rangitikei seat had been much closer than he had expected, and it had taken a long time for him to get his "nose in front".

"We'll see what happens, but it's an extraordinary result for the Labour Party," McKelvie said.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do, but I thought our leader spoke very well earlier on tonight.

"Its a very unusual time we're living through, and its going to be very interesting to see what happens in the next 3 or 4 months.

Labour's Rangitīkei candidate Soraya Peke-Mason and Te Tai Hauāuru candidate Adrian Rurawhe are all smiles at Ratana. Photo / Lewis Gardner

McKelvie will spent election evening "with a few people" at the Feilding Golf Club.

"I'm always optimistic, and I was born optimistic," McKelvie said.

"The campaign went on forever, but it's been the same for everybody. It's been pretty testing."

McKelvie said he'd spent the day with two of his grandsons, who had travelled from Hawkes Bay.

"It feels a little different this time around, purely because there are different expectations than on other occasions.

"We think we've done the best we can in the Rangitīkei, and at the end of the day the people decide. That's what this is all about. We're a democracy and people make the choice."

Peke-Mason has conceded defeat but was confident she ran an incredibly strong campaign.

"It was always going to be difficult, it was always going to be a challenge," she said.

"It would have been great if we did, especially for the people of Rangitīkei.

"Anything was possible, but I'm happy where I am."

Peke-Mason will likely enter Parliament on the list under these numbers and said she would be a strong voice for Rangitīkei from within the party.

Peke-Mason expects to travel to Wellington on Monday for her induction into Parliament.

ACT candidate for Rangitīkei Alan Wilson said he was watching numbers in Rangitīkei "with baited breath".

"Over the years, little booths get counted first and towards the end of the night suddenly a big boost comes in that can change a lot.

"I've got to pleased with 874 votes after 20 per cent of votes have been counted. That makes a bit of a change from last time, and the time before."

Wilson, who has previously said he was campaigning purely for the party vote, said he thought that "when the Nats are having trouble" disaffected National voters gravitated towards ACT.

"In saying that, we've been working hard at creating our own culture, and our own whanau.

"That's what makes a party a permanent feature in the political landscape."