Voting opened in New Zealand on Monday for the November 7 general election, with ballot boxes available for nearly two weeks at ​shopping centres, transport hubs and community halls, ahead of what is ‌expected to be a closely contested race.

New Zealand said it will work to deepen trade ties with Brazil and ​Canada to diversify export markets amid global ‌economic uncertainty, as a free trade agreement with India came into force.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to face National Party ​lawmakers in Wellington after he called a meeting he said was to address increased speculation about his leadership months away from a general election.

New Zealand’s ruling centre-right coalition may retain a razor-thin parliamentary majority if an election were held now, a poll showed on Friday, but a ​surge for the new centrist Opportunity Party could reshape coalition talks ahead of ‌the November vote.

New Zealand Prime Minister ‌Christopher Luxon said he was open to a referendum on whether to change the country’s electoral system, opening another split in his centre-right coalition months ahead of a general election.

Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, will visit Australia and New Zealand next week as ​part of efforts to bolster partnerships and enhance cooperation in science and technology, the government said in a statement.

New Zealand’s jobless rate climbed to a decade-high in the June quarter as a sharp ​rise in the number of people looking for work outweighed gains in employment, a blow for the centre-right government months ahead ‌of a general election.

New Zealand and Fiji signed a renewed five-year Duavata Partnership, ​setting out cooperation priorities for 2026 ‌to 2030 across trade, security, democracy, social development and climate resilience, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston ​Peters said after talks in Auckland ​with Fiji counterpart Sakiasi Ditoka.

The New Zealand government announced an inquiry into the disappearance of the Phillips children, who were hidden by their fugitive father in dense bush without discovery for several years.

More than 70 schools in Australia and New Zealand were closed for cleaning after asbestos was discovered in widely used children’s play sand products.

Pacific health experts are warning families to get vaccinated as New Zealand’s measles outbreak spreads across the country.

The World Health Organization says gaps in measles vaccination coverage in New Zealand could lead to another large outbreak.