Polls on knife edge as New Zealand prepares to vote

Bangkok Post · AFP · 2026-11-06 10:45 UTC

WELLINGTON - New Zealand is poised for one of the closest elections in its history on Saturday, as the country votes following a campaign dominated by the cost of living and an economy hammered by the war in the Middle East.

WELLINGTON - New Zealand is poised for one of the closest elections in its history on Saturday, as the country votes following a campaign dominated by the cost of living and an economy hammered by the war in the Middle East.

Kiwis are struggling to make ends meet — the price of basic goods remains stubbornly high and unemployment at its highest in over a decade.

Polls suggest that neither the ruling conservative National Party nor the opposition centre-left Labour have offered a programme compelling enough to win the seats needed to govern by themselves.

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