WELLINGTON (Reuters): New Zealand's political parties wrapped up their election campaigns on Friday, with polling still showing a tight race as voters mull a faltering economy and a loss of faith in the main parties.
Left-leaning parties including Labour want to make the incumbent coalition led by the centre-right National Party the first one-term government in nearly 50 years. Voting closes on Saturday following a campaign dominated by the economy and the cost of living.
A poll by Infrastructure New Zealand, an industry association, released on Friday put Labour at 30.7% and National at 26.4%.
"It is going to be close. It will be tight, and that's why you've got to get out and make sure you do vote," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told supporters and media on Friday.
"The only poll that matters is tomorrow night."
Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who briefly served as prime minister before losing to Luxon in 2023, said he was confident of emerging as the most popular party, but that it was too early to discuss possible coalitions.
"We're banking on being the biggest party in Parliament. I'm feeling increasingly confident of that," he told a press conference.
Advanced voting has been open in New Zealand since October 26 with New Zealand Electoral Commission data showing nearly 1.67 million people had voted through Thursday, more than a third of those eligible. Winston Peters, leader of governing coalition partner New Zealand First, used the last day of the campaign to vote in front of the media in Auckland.
From midnight (1100 GMT), no campaigning or advertising is allowed anywhere until voting closes at 7 p.m., with all election signs having to be removed and media prohibited from posting or sharing anything that could influence votes.
COALITION LIKELY
New Zealand's electoral system makes coalitions the norm, and the tightness of this year's race means one or more of the country's smaller parties will almost certainly participate in a governing coalition.
Although results are expected to start coming through Saturday evening, political commentators expect it could take weeks for a government to form as parties wait for results to be finalised and terms of coalitions are agreed upon. Voter support for smaller parties has been growing as confidence has eroded in the two largest ones.
Friday's poll showed the centrist Opportunity Party at 5.1%, just above the threshold for representation in parliament and making it the potential kingmaker in any coalition government.
New Zealand has emerged only slowly from a prolonged economic downturn, with growth subdued, household budgets strained and unemployment rising to 5.7% in the third quarter, its highest level in 11 years.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer and Alasdair Pal in Wellington; Editing by Jamie Freed and Saad Sayeed) - Reuters
