It's polling day for the Hamilton West electorate, to decide a new MP after the resignation of Labour's Gaurav Sharma. Photo: RNZ
Electoral officials are encouraging people in today's Hamilton West by-election to get out and vote, even if they are not yet enrolled.
Polling booths opened this morning at 9am, and will remain open until 7pm this evening.
There are twelve people standing for election. The by-election was triggered by the October resignation of MP Gaurav Sharma.
Twenty voting places are operating across the electorate today.
Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said there had been a steady stream of voters so far today, and in the past two weeks, just over 9800 early votes had already been cast.
The electorate had 49,000 registered voters, but people could still enrol to vote today at any of the polling sites.
"You can go to a voting place and you can update your enrolment details there, just take some ID along,
and that'll enable you to cast a special vote," Le Quesne said.
"We're really encouraging people to get out there and make their choice on who they want to represent them in parliament."
One of the planned voting places was not able to open today.
"We planned to open a voting place just today at Glenview School, but due to staff illness we weren't able to open it. So we're encouraging people to go to the Glenview Community Centre, 12 Tomin Road, it's just a short distance away," Le Quesne said.
The Electoral Commission said voters who had their Easy-Vote card should take it with them to make voting faster, but people could still vote without one.
All election advertising and campaigning was banned today.