Election17

Two of National's support partners say Bill English is ignoring the realities of governing under MMP by telling people not to vote for the minor parties.

Polling staff can take the boxes containing early votes home if they can't be safely secured at venues overnight, the Electoral Commission says.

The largest age group registered to vote on the Māori roll are 18-24 year olds, in contrast to the general roll where more older voters are enrolled.

There has been another record day of voting as election day draws nearer.

National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett's campaign sent a text to 40 constituents in which their mobile phone numbers could be seen.

Some public servants around the country may have been grounded to save aviation fuel, but election campaigning is continuing unabated.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is defending her party's plan for a commercial water use levy, despite yesterday's farmers' protest. Video, Audio

Opinion - As the two-horse neck-and-neck drag race on a knife edge comes to an end, Toby Manhire and Toby Morris take a look at the possible results.

The retirements of long-serving MPs mean there will be a host of new faces representing Auckland in Parliament after 23 September. They went for lunch with RNZ's Sarah Robson. Audio

Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are now choosing advance voting, raising questions about the effectiveness of the polling day blackout.

Advance votes could point to an early result on Election Night, but special votes mean the drama might not be over for weeks, writes law professor Andrew Geddis.

The Green Party is reaffirming its commitment to tax polluters, and to bringing in a capital gains tax.

The latest advance voting numbers are out - bringing the total to nearly half a million people.

Analysis - After a month on the road with both Labour and National, Chris Bramwell compares their very different campaigning styles.

The Greens would want a capital gains tax introduced in the first term, if they went into coalition with Labour, but Labour says it's not prepared to negotiate.

Bill English says he's unlikely to return to Waitangi for Waitangi Day if National is re-elected.

The Green Party want to extend the rights of renters by bringing in three-year standard tenancies and limiting rent increases to once a year.

The Green Party is the only one to have done enough to tackle climate change in the past three years with the political power available to them, academics say.

Picking who to vote for can be overwhelming, so here's some tips to help filter the options and help you tick with confidence - and it doesn't even involve a dartboard.

About 80,000 people placed their ballots yesterday, with nearly twice the number of votes cast so far compared to the same time in 2014.