Hipkins says Labour will do better than predicted as New Zealand heads to the polls

New Zealanders vote on Saturday, 7 November, and the result is expected to be tight. Reuters and the Associated Press both reported on 5 November that the outcome was too close to call.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who briefly served as prime minister before losing to Christopher Luxon in 2023, is fighting his second election as leader. On Thursday he said: "We are going to do significantly better than you have been predicting."

Hipkins said there is a rejection of right-wing populism around the world, and that New Zealanders have an opportunity to do the same. He did not name any specific party or leader in the comments reported by RNZ.

On the campaign itself, Hipkins travelled between Auckland, Hamilton and the wider Wellington region in the final days, and campaigned in west Auckland. Labour said it had conducted 250,000 door knocks, meaning visits to voters' homes, compared with around 150,000 in the last campaign.

Hipkins described Labour's effort as a "very, very big ground game this election". He said: "That ground game is going to make a huge difference," including by helping people get out and vote on Saturday. A ground game is a campaign's in-person work with voters.

The latest Freshwater Strategy poll, taken on the eve of the election, put Labour back in the thirties. A recent Ipsos survey showed Labour leading on the top five issues for New Zealanders.

Hipkins also criticised the government's record on jobs. He described the rise in unemployment as a "damning verdict on Christopher Luxon's economic management".

Labour has said in a release that more than a quarter of a million eligible New Zealanders are not enrolled to vote in the 7 November election.

Earlier in the campaign, in a release on 29 October, Hipkins wrote: "Better starts now. On 7 November, give both your votes to Labour." Voting in the election began on 26 October.