Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

The final results of NZ's General Election have come out as the more intelligent political commentators were predicting...

* The Greens did not gain enough extra votes to return former poster boy Nandor Tanczos to Parliament (their historical boost from special votes was lost this time, due to Labour's "free money" student loan policy). (Quelle de'mage ;-).

* Same deal with the JAP's (Jim Anderton's Progressives) - their vote only needed to go up a smidge to return Matt Robson, but it actually went down a smidge, so Old Jimmyboy is now a party of One.

* The Maori Party's ex-pat campaign in the likes of Australia helped them increase the proportionality of Parliament, by lifting their final vote to 2.12%, thereby reducing the overhang to just one MP (they still have four MPs, by virtue of winning 4 Maori electorate seats).

* The National Party's Katrina Shanks is the one that misses out by pulling Parliament back to just 121 MPs. Unlikely to be a big shock for her, but National could have done with the extra female MP.

* Mrs Peter Davis now needs to secure a majority of 61 votes to pass crucial legislation...

Likely odds on running a minority Government "coalition" with Labour and Jim Anderton, relying on the support of the Greens for most policies (now commonly known in media circles as the "LPG Government" ;-) ... however, playing off NZ First/United Future/Maori Party for any items which the Greens turn their nose at.

* NZ Herald: National lose one seat in final count
* NZ Herald: Full list of MPs after final election result
* Elections NZ: Official Count Results