New Zealand final day of voting as polls open Saturday

Polls opened on the final day of New Zealand's general election on Saturday, with voting running from 9am to 7pm local time (20:00 GMT Friday to 06:00 GMT Saturday) amid concerns over the rising cost of living and the wider economy, the Electoral Commission said.

Voting began on 26 October and by the end of Thursday more than 1.6 million of the roughly 3.8 million eligible voters had already cast their ballots, according to the commission. The country enforces strict rules that ban any political discussion on election day, imposing a 19‑hour blackout that covers parties, media and social‑media users, and fines of up to NZ$20,000 for breaches.

Opinion polls ahead of the tightly contested election suggest the centre‑right National Party and the centre‑left Labour Party are neck‑and‑neck, with neither likely to secure a governing majority on its own, police said. The Electoral Commission aims to release preliminary results from 95% of polling stations by the end of election night on Saturday, while a final count that includes overseas votes is expected by 27 November.

The National Party is promising to return the budget to surplus through fiscal discipline and to expand the national pension scheme, whereas Labour is focusing on the cost of living, pledging cheaper healthcare and transport. New Zealand holds a general election every three years under a mixed‑member proportional system, where voters choose a local electorate candidate and a party, with seats allocated to both electorate winners and the highest‑ranked party list members.