Voting in a church could affect more conservative candidates and issues, like our euthanasia and cannabis referendums.

Physically being at a church, it seems, makes people more likely to follow church norms unconsciously.

Voting in a school, for example, could stimulate a part of our identity that cares about kids or taking care of our communities, nudging us towards left-leaning candidates or parties. Read more

There was no change in the distribution of seats.

Mangere, Manukau East and Manurewa all stayed with Labour; Maungakiekie stayed with National.

Of 5 the general seats in which Labour won the party vote, 3 were in South Auckland - Mangere, Manukau East and Manurewa.

But Labour's share of the vote in these three South Auckland seats dropped by 5.3 percentage points, from 65.3 per cent to 60 per cent.

National Party's Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, who was the Minister of Pacific island Affairs in the last National with a reduced majority.

Lotu-Iiga told the ABC's Bruce Hill it appears quite a few Pacific island voters abandoned their traditional support for Labour and supported National.

However Mangere MP, Su'a William Sio, said National's threat to take Pasifika votes away from Labour in south Auckland did not happen.

Sio retained his seat for Labour with a majority of 12,593 [2011 15,738].

He said National candidates, and some from minor parties, tried to stir up animosity toward Labour over the same-sex marriage bill.

Labour's new Manukau East MP and Parliament's first Tongan-speaking member, Jenny Salesa, won the seat with an 11,000 majority. [2011 15,838].

Louisa Wall retained Manurewa for Labour with a majority of 5213 [2011 8610].

The 2014 elections results are still provisional.

Source

• Radio Australia
• New Zealand Herald
• New Zealand Herald
• Image: Thedailyblog