It’s easy to predict the date of the 2026 New Zealand general election. All you have to do is take into account the Electoral Act, the rarity of snap elections, the typical length of post-election coalition negotiations, the school holidays, public holidays, the Reserve Bank’s OCR announcement dates, when Auckland’s City Rail Link is expected to open, the current economic trajectory of New Zealand and the world at large and, of course, the All Blacks’ test dates. It really is that simple.

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