Next NZ government coalition could face minefield as small parties gain power - Richard Harman

Opinion byRichard HarmanNZ Herald·27 Oct, 2026 10:00 PM6 mins to readRichard Harman is a respected political commentator and author of the Politik newsletter.Both National and Labour could face up to half their Cabinet coming from support parties. Image / NZ HeraldWhichever side wins this election will walk straight into a governmental and constitutional minefield.That will be because the vote for small parties is so high and the vote for the two main parties is relatively low. On current polling, National and Labour would get somewhere in the high 50s