In brief
In the first week of advance voting for New Zealand’s 2026 general election, over 913,000 votes were cast, up from 712,000 in the 2023 early‑voting period, representing about 24% of enrolled voters. Xinhua reported the commission’s figures, while Radio New Zealand echoed the higher turnout. The National Party seeks re‑election under Christopher Luxon, and Labour, led by Chris Hipkins, aims to return to power amid economic concerns.
More than 913,000 New Zealand voters cast early ballots in the first seven days of advance voting for the November 7 2026 general election, the Electoral Commission reported on Monday, exceeding the 2023 early‑voting figure, according to a story from Xinhua.
According to the Commission, 913,762 votes were recorded between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1, a jump from 712,192 during the same period in 2023 and representing roughly 24 percent of enrolled voters, up from 19 percent in the previous election. Radio New Zealand reported that the busiest day was Oct. 31, when more than 190,000 votes were issued.
Radio New Zealand also noted that, as of Nov. 1, more than 900,000 citizens had voted—a figure that values about a quarter of the country’s enrolled electorate—mirroring the higher turnout trend observed in the Xinhua data.
The figure still falls short of the 1.16 million advance votes recorded at the same stage of the 2020 election, the commission said.
The National Party, led by President Christopher Luxon, is vying for a second term after taking office in 2023, while Labour, headed by former prime minister Chris Hipkins, is campaigning to return to power amid concerns over the cost of living, economic growth, jobs and public services.
