The count begins

7.00pm

Polls in the 2002 general election closed at 7pm this evening and polling officials began breaking the seals on ballot boxes.

Over the next few hours votes will be counted at 6216 polling places around New Zealand.

The Electoral Office expects to have the results of half the polling places by 10pm, and the rest by 11.30pm.

These preliminary results cover about 90 per cent of all votes cast at the election. These results often indicate which electorate candidate has won in each of the 69 electorates. They may also indicate the total number of seats each party is likely to have. They do not include special declaration votes.

The final count is completed when the special votes are received and checked in the 10 days following the election. It is only after all successful electorate candidates have been declared elected and the total support is known for each party, that party list MPs will be known.

The final make-up of Parliament will not be officially known until about two weeks after the election.

Political leaders will be at electorate offices, hotels and halls around the country to watch the results come in.

Labour Party leader Helen Clark is expected to join supporters at the Mt Eden War Memorial Hall about 10pm.

The Prime Minister was smiling and relaxed when she cast her vote in her home electorate of Mt Albert this morning.

"It's a nice day for it," she said as she arrived at the Kowhai Intermediate School polling booth, accompanied by husband Peter Davis. Producing an Easy Vote card, she cast her vote within a minute and left the booth to the applause of officials and supporters.

Helen Clark said she would spend the day working to mobilise the party vote with 300 volunteer helpers in the Mt Albert elecorate which she has held for 21 years.

National Party leader Bill English spent the day with his family on his Dipton farm after casting his vote in the morning. His lair tonight will be Croydon Lodge in Gore.

Election officials were left red-faced when New Zealand First leader Winston Peters cast his vote in Tauranga, after one directed him to the Maori ballot box.

Mr Peters, whose party is against Maori seats -- saying they are becoming a symbol of separatism -- was about to place his papers in the general box at Otumoetai Primary School, when an official rushed up, stopped him and led him to the Maori box.

Surrounded by cameras and news media, Mr Peters baulked when he saw "Maori" written on the box in large letters.

"I'm not voting on the Maori roll," he said. Outside the polling booth, he said the official was obviously unaware of his policies.

"We're for one franchise, one electoral roll, she tried to get me to vote in the Maori box." Mr Peters cast his vote in suburban Tauranga soon after noon, wearing his trademark suit over a dark pullover.

"Everyone knows who I voted for. I think we will do well today," he said. Mr Peters, who has been the MP for Tauranga since 1984, held the seat by 63 votes in 1999.

His supporters will gather at Bureta Park Motor Inn in Otumoetai tonight. He is expected to join them about 10pm.

He told reporters he had not forwarded his contact details to Prime Minister Helen Clark, as her office had requested.

Helen Clark had wanted the numbers in case there needed to be post-election discussions about forming a Government.

She could not "slag me off" during the campaign, then expect those contact details, he said.

Act Party leader Richard Prebble cast his vote at St Thomas' Church polling booth in New Lynn. He and is supporters will be at the University of Auckland's student function room tonight.

Green co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons was the last party leader to cast her vote in the Kaueranga Valley, near Thames, about mid afternoon. She had "a day off" checking her beehives and doing some housework. She will track the results tonight at the Thames racecourse.

Her co-leader, Rod Donald, will be at the party's Christchurch electorate office.

Alliance leader Laila Harre, who is battling for her party's survival in Waitakere, was the first to cast a vote - dead on 9am when polling booths opened. She and her supporters will be at the party's electorate office in Henderson.

Progressive Coalition leader Jim Anderton will be at his home in Christchurch and United Future's Peter Dunne has opted to be at The Backbencher pub across the road from Parliament.

The Herald will carry continuous updates on the vote counting this evening, on nzherald.co.nz, plus reaction, analysis and comment from our experienced team of journalists and writers.

Full election results