New Zealanders go to the polls as Ardern seeks 2nd term

Polling places opened on election day in New Zealand on Saturday as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seeks a second term.

Opinion polls indicate Ardern is poised to win, with her liberal Labour Party polling far ahead of the conservative National Party, led by Judith Collins.

A record number of voters cast early ballots in the two weeks leading up to the election.

On the campaign trail, Ardern has been greeted like a rock star by people who have crammed into malls and spilled onto streets to cheer her on and get selfies with her.

Her popularity soared earlier this year after she led a successful effort to stamp out the coronavirus.

There is currently no community spread of the virus in the nation of 5 million and people are no longer required to wear masks or social distance.

One question will be whether Labour can win an outright majority in Parliament, something that hasn’t happened since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago.

Typically, parties must form alliances to govern, but this time there’s a chance Ardern and Labour will be able to go it alone.

Ardern's rival Collins says she still believes she can win and that polls have been wrong before, notably about Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election.

Ardern, 40, won the top job after the 2017 election when Labour formed an alliance with two other parties.

The following year, she became only the second world leader to give birth while in office.

Collins, 61, is a former lawyer.

She served as a minister when National was in power and prides herself on a blunt, no-nonsense approach, a contrast to Ardern’s empathetic style.

Collins is promising sweeping tax cuts in response to the economic downturn caused by the virus.

In the election, voters also have a say on two contentious social issues - whether to legalise marijuana and euthanasia.

Polls indicate the euthanasia referendum is likely to pass while the marijuana vote remains close.

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