Senior National MP Mark Mitchell admits the campaign to engineer an overhang distracted from the party's campaign. 

Preliminary results give National, ACT and New Zealand First 67 seats, Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori 57 and Opportunity 7 seats. 

The Electoral Commission estimates almost 400,000 special votes are still to come.

National's overhang gives it no list MPs, putting Nicola Willis, Paul Goldsmith and Chris Bishop out of Parliament. 
 
Mitchell says they'll be a big loss.

"It just felt like we were sort of campaigning against weird campaigns like that throughout the whole campaign. Without a doubt, the split vote campaign was a big distraction." 

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Senior National MP Mark Mitchell admits the campaign to engineer an overhang distracted from the party's campaign.&nbsp;
Preliminary results give National, ACT and New Zealand First 67 seats, Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori 57 and Opportunity 7 seats.&nbsp;
The Electoral Commission estimates almost 400,000 special votes are still to come.
National's overhang gives it no list MPs, putting Nicola Willis, Paul Goldsmith and Chris Bishop out of Parliament.&nbsp; &nbsp; Mitchell says they'll be a big loss.
"It just felt like we were sort of campaigning against weird campaigns like that throughout the whole campaign. Without a doubt, the split vote campaign was a big distraction."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Debrief: National's Mark Mitchell on the 'big losses' from the party following preliminary election results

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/615f67f1-1abf-4fe2-a431-b4fb016f341c/transcript