Auckland; Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and opposition Leader Chris Hipkins both cast their vote on Monday as early voting opened for the country’s November 7 general election, in a race that polls suggest will be closely contested.
With voters frustrated by a sluggish economy and persistently high inflation, the cost of living has emerged as a key election issue, prompting competing policy solutions from across the political spectrum.
Ballot boxes will be open for nearly two weeks at shopping centres, transport hubs and community halls across the country ahead of election day.
Recent polls show no clear frontrunner under New Zealand's mixed-member proportional system, where coalition deals are often needed to form governments.
A 1News-Verian poll published on October 20 put the ruling centre-right National Party at 32% and opposition Labour at 27%, while a Post/Freshwater Strategy poll published a day earlier had Labour narrowly ahead at 28.7% to the National Party's 27.6%.
In both surveys, the smaller Opportunity Party was polling around or above the 5% threshold needed to enter Parliament, making it a potential kingmaker.
New Zealand's Electoral Commission said 207 voting places were open on Monday, with that number rising to more than 2,300 on election day. Overseas voting opened earlier, on October 21.
