Heavy polling turnout in region anticipated

By law, all election hoardings must be removed throughout the country by midnight tonight. Photo / File

More than 120,000 votes are expected to be cast throughout Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa tomorrow in what is shaping up to be one of the heaviest general election polling turnouts since MMP replaced first-past-the-post elections in New Zealand in 1996.

More than 120 polling booths in Hawke's Bay will open at 9am tomorrow for people to vote their choices of Member of Parliament for the Napier, Tukituki and Wairarapa general roll electorates, or for the Ikaroa Rawhiti Maori electorate. They have a second vote, for the electoral party they wish to lead the new Parliament.

The Electoral Commission warns tardy voters their votes must be in the box by 7pm.

People aged 18 or over (born on or before September 20, 1994) are eligible to vote providing they meet residency or citizenship qualifications, and are not prison inmates. They must be on the roll by midnight (check online www.elections.org.nz).

Advance voting has been available at a small number of booths since September 3, with more than 500,000 people throughout the country having ticked their choices by last night.

In 2011 there were 117,793 valid candidate votes in the four electorates, almost 8000 less than the 125,751 in 2008 when the nation voted John Key's National Party team in and the Labour Government of Prime Minister Helen Clark out.

In 2005 120,215 people voted up and down the electorates as Napier, Tukituki and Wairarapa all turned from the red of Labour to the blue of National.

Polling is suggesting a similar turn in reverse, with a television poll last weekend predicting victory in Napier for Labour candidate Stuart Nash and demise for National following the retirement of three-term MP Chris Tremain, while in Wairarapa, which includes Waipukurau and Wairarapa, Labour candidate Kieran McAnulty says he's "overwhelmed" by the support he's getting against non-resident Alastair Scott (National) and Carterton Mayor and former list MP Ron Mark (New Zealand First).

Both Napier and Wairarapa had been named by National Party sources several months ahead of the election as among the five National-held seats the party was most at risk of losing.

Thousands of party and candidate election hoardings will be removed throughout the country today.

Election law requiring them to disappear by midnight includes such mobile hoardings as the 1968 Bedford fire engine used by Mr Nash in Napier.

It must be off the road by the time the clock strikes 12 but it won't be turning into a pumpkin. He said he has a garage available to store it for the day, or he might head out to the country to park up behind the trees on a friend's orchard.

The electorates are among 71 that will each have an MP, one more electorate than in the 2011-2014 Parliament.

About 50 more will be chosen as list MPs based on the percentage of votes each party receives and where the candidates rank on their party list.

There are currently 120 MPs, the National Party, headed by Prime Minister John Key, having 59 comprising 42 electorate MPs and 17 list MPs, and leading a coalition government with the support of the Maori Party, which has three Maori electorate MPs, and United First, which has one electorate MP.

Labour, led by David Cunliffe, has 22 electorate MPs and 12 list MPs. The Green Party, also in opposition, has 14 List MPs.

The only other party in the current Parliament is the Mana Movement, with one electorate MP. Parties are entitled to have list MPs if they get one or more electorate candidates into Parliament, or if they achieve 5 per cent or more of the party vote.