Christchurch : With a 59 to 43 seat victory over Labour, New Zealand are certain to have a new Prime Minister.
The ourgoing PM, Helen joined the Labour Party in 1971. She was elected to Parliament in 1981 as MP for Mt Albert, and represents Mt Albert in Parliament to this day which she took again.In November 1999 Helen was elected as Labour Prime Minister.
She led Labour to a second term in government at the 2002 general election and to a third term in 2005. Helen was the longest serving leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, New Zealand's oldest political party.
Voters have turned out in large numbers today for New Zealand's General Election. Queues formed before the booths opened in some cities as fine weather drew out voters early.Advance and absentee votes already cast by the end of yesterday are up nearly a third on the 2005 election, and number around 210,000.
Labor Party leader Helen Clark voted at a school near her Mt Eden home. National Party leader John Key also voted at a school, then spent time with campaign workers before heading home to be with his family.There are about 3 million registered voters.
Results from advance voting, for which counting began earlier this afternoon, should be known soon after the polls close at 7 o'clock.Over the last three elections, voter turnout has averaged 80.9 percent