Bill English
Wellington, October 7, 2017
With all the votes now counted it is clear that National has finished ten seats ahead of the Labour Party and also ahead of the Labour/Green grouping.
I want to thank the more than 1.15 million voters that placed their trust in the National Party, and I remain as determined as ever to lead a strong, stable government for the next three years that will deliver on the hopes and aspirations of all New Zealanders.
Not since 1969 has the National Party finished ahead of the Labour opposition at four successive elections, and I want to thank everyone involved in this historic achievement.
Working with NZ First
Now that the special votes have been counted, it is time for political parties to get on with the job of forming a strong government to take New Zealand forward, and I look forward to engaging with Mr Peters and New Zealand First over the coming days to achieve that.
Voters had a clear choice at the election between the two major parties that had a realistic prospect of leading the next government.
They signalled very clearly that they wanted National to perform that role and we will now get on with the job of trying to give effect to their wishes.
Bill English is Leader of the National Party of New Zealand.
