Both the electorate vote and the party vote are important in different ways. There are a few rules to keep in mind about the way MMP turns your vote into MPs in Parliament. So, if a party wins 41% of the party vote, it is entitled to 41% of the 120 seats in Parliament. A party must win either one electorate seat or 5% of the party vote to get elected. When you are thinking about how to cast your party vote, you should check the party list (available at elections.org.nz) to see who your party vote is going to elect.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 12, 2017 22:07 UTC