Polls close in New Zealand’s election of the century

Detailed summary

A nail-biting finish is on the cards with neither major party expected to get a majority and a so-called ‘teal’ candidate likely to play the kingmaker.

New Zealanders will soon know their election results after the tightest campaign this century. However, if the polls are correct, they may not know their likely government for another three weeks.

Polling places closed nationwide at 7pm local time (5pm AEDT) on Saturday. More than 3 million Kiwis are expected to have voted after a campaign dominated by cost of living issues.

Chris Luxon’s conservative coalition of his National Party, free-marketers ACT and the populists NZ First are seeking a second term.

Labour, led by Chris Hipkins, along with fellow opposition parties the Greens and the Maori Party, are hoping to unseat the coalition and make history.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Sydney Morning Herald. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.