Education and health outcomes are among Dana Kirkpatrick’s priorities as she returns to Parliament for another three years.

Kirkpatrick has retained her seat as MP for East Cape, securing 16,404 votes, 5328 more than runner-up Labour candidate Jo Luxton in the general election.

Kirkpatrick said she was delighted to be back and honoured to be representing the region for another term.

“I’m just really very grateful for the support, and the people who backed me and supported me to get across the line,” she said.

She said she had several priorities for the next three years, including improving school attendance and achievement, health outcomes and progressing important roading projects across the region.

Kirkpatrick said she also wanted to improve access to diagnostic and preventative healthcare across the region, particularly for people living in rural and isolated communities.

Roading projects, including Pekatahi Bridge and the Waioweka Gorge, were high on her list of priorities.

She plans to continue advocating strongly for the East Cape and making sure regional voices are heard at national level.

“Where we are, tucked away on the corner, it’s very easy to get forgotten because we are a long way from where decisions are made.

“We need to be really vocal, and we need to talk long and loud about what we need and the issues that we face.”

With the campaign over, she has taken the opportunity to thank the volunteers who helped secure her re-election.

She said a successful campaign relied on a large team of people, from those holding signs near roundabouts and delivering pamphlets to those making phone calls, putting up billboards and preparing dinners.

“You don’t get across the line like we did without a massive team in behind you,” she said.

Kirkpatrick also addressed suggestions on social media that National and Labour should form a coalition and put aside the smaller parties.

She said the two parties were too far apart on several major issues to make that a likely option.

“We’re ideologically quite opposed on so many of the other issues. If you take, for example, farming and agriculture; if you take energy; and if you take coal or gas and mining, those are things we are deeply in opposition to their views.”

While she acknowledged there could be some issues the parties could work on together, there were others they would never agree on.

Incumbent Rawiri Waititi of Te Pāti Māori won the Waiariki electorate with 13,080 votes ahead of Tania Waikato (Green Party) on 10,806.

Waikato, from Te Teko, heads to Parliament as No 13 on her party list. Toni Boynton (Labour), received 4130, and Pāpā Wharewera (Opportunity), 911.

Although electorate results are largely settled, the wider election result remains uncertain, with special votes still to be counted.

Preliminary results show the National, ACT and New Zealand First coalition with 67 seats, while the left bloc has 57 seats.

The Opportunity Party is sitting between the two blocs with seven seats.

This is the first time The Opportunity Party has made it into Parliament since its creation in 2016.

National has also lost several of its key politicians, with Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and Paul Goldsmith losing their seats. This has also been a good election for the Green Party, which has secured its strongest presence in Parliament, with 14 seats. This is two more than ACT and New Zealand First, which have 12 seats each.

Preliminary results have left the makeup of the next Government unclear, with about 4000 special votes still to be counted.

The final results are expected on November 27.

East Cape votes

■ Dana Kirkpatrick, National – 16,404

■ Jo Luxton, Labour – 11,079

■ Jordan Walker, Green Party 2862

■ Darrin Hawkes, ACT – 1982

■ Cail Smith, The Opportunity Party – 779

■ Gordon Dickson, Independent – 276