Nearly one million New Zealanders have voted in recent election

Data from the Electoral Commission shows that 913,762 people have cast their votes, representing approximately 24% of the total enrolled population. This figure is significantly higher than the 712,000 people who had voted at a similar stage during the 2023 election. One report specifies that 712,192 people had voted at the equivalent date in 2023, which was just under 19% of those enrolled.

While current turnout is outpacing the 2023 election, it remains below the record set in 2020, when 1.16 million people had voted by this point. The provisional enrolment rate is currently 93.6%, which is 1.1% lower than in 2023 and 0.5% lower than in 2020. However, this rate is higher than the enrolment level prior to the introduction of same-day enrolment in 2020.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins suggested the high early voting rate is a positive sign for his party, stating, “We know that in elections where the turnout is higher, Labour does better”. National leader Christopher Luxon said on Monday that the high turnout indicated that concerns regarding his Government's changes to enrolment were overblown.

In Christchurch, voters such as Cheyanne Scown and Courtney Martin used the Tūranga Library to cast their votes. Scown, a former Te Pati Māori voter, chose to vote for the Greens in Te Tai Tonga. Martin, from Linwood, also voted for the Greens in the Christchurch East Electorate.

Where reports differ

• One report provides a specific figure of 712,192 for the 2023 comparison, while others round this to 712,000

Compiled from reports by The Post, The Press and RNZ.