Hipkins sidelined as NZ election advance voting begins

The electoral commission opened more than 400 polling places across New Zealand on Monday, with Kiwis increasingly showing their enthusiasm to vote ahead of time.

At the 2020 election, 1.97 million of a total 3.2 million voters returned their ballots before polling day.

"In 2020 about two out of every three votes was done in advance ... that (proportion has) been increasing since about 2011," chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne told Radio NZ.

"We're planning on about the same as 2020."

Mr Le Quesne said Kiwis casting ballots earlier meant an easier election day for voters, his team, and quicker results on election night.

"It just offers a bit more convenience (for voters) ... and for us it spreads the workload out and it means from election day we can start counting the advance votes and get those results out after 7pm when the polls close," he said.

Polling suggests Kiwis are in the mood to change the government, with centre-right opposition National favoured over Labour after two terms in office.

Those casting their vote on the opening day will include the National party's leader Chris Luxon, in Auckland, and Greens co-leader James Shaw, in Wellington.

Prime minister and Labour leader Chris Hipkins is unable to do so, forced from the campaign trail and holed up in Auckland after catching COVID-19.

Mr Hipkins tested positive on Sunday morning, and "still felt quite unwell" on Monday morning according to his spokesperson.

"He's undertaking limited duties today, but aiming to pick up more things remotely from tomorrow, such as his morning media round," they said.

The number of advance polling places will steadily increase to around 800 over the next fortnight, with 2300 open on Saturday, October 14.

Overseas voting and dictation voting, a service used primarily by disabled Kiwis, have been available since last Wednesday.

Former Labour prime minister Jacinda Ardern exercised her democratic right from New York last week, posting on Instgram a picture of the "I Voted" sticker every Kiwi gets after voting in-person.

"Flash flooding in New York wasn't going to stop us getting our vote in for the New Zealand election today," she said.

"It's the first time since I started voting that I haven't been involved in the campaign, but popping a ballot in the box felt just as important.

"You'll all know where my ticks went (two ticks for Chippy and the Labour team every time) but I wanted to add this point - if you're a kiwi abroad, please vote."

Ms Ardern has been conspicuously absent from New Zealand politics since leaving parliament in April.

She has moved to the United States to take up roles at Harvard University for the semester.

There are 10 polling places for eligible voters to cast ballots in Australia: state and territory electoral commission headquarters, the NZ High Commission in Canberra and the NZ Consul-General's office in Sydney.

Kiwis abroad can also download postal forms, fill them out, and upload them back to the NZ Electoral Commission.

Australian Associated Press