Relative newcomer may hold key to balance of power as New Zealand election goes down to the wire

Detailed summary

Ruling National Party and main opposition Labour remain neck and neck after over 90 per cent of votes are counted

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Early results of New Zealand’s general election show the ruling centre-right National Party and main opposition Labour in a tight deadlock, with no clear route to victory for either.

More than 90 per cent of the votes had been counted in the election which began on 26 October and ended on Saturday, officials said.

At last count, both parties were polling just short of 30 per cent of the popular vote, with only a few thousand votes separating them after an election that was defined by voter disillusionment with the two biggest contenders.

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