Live: Counting begins in New Zealand federal election

Voting has closed in New Zealand's election and we will soon see results trickling in.

In an election campaign overshadowed by cost of living pressures and an economy buffeted by international shocks, the National Party has been making its case to stay in government and Labour has tried to prise back votes it needs to regain office.

But experts say both parties ran negative campaigns.

"I'm not sure anyone has much enjoyed it," Richard Shaw, a professor of politics at Massey University, told the ABC.

"The policy contest which marked the opening stanzas has largely fallen away into an acrimonious exchange between the left and the right about how to game the electoral system through strategic voting."

National and Labour focused on criticising not just their rival parties but also the people involved, with Labour trying to seize on the unpopularity of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and National sought to exploit similar sentiment about Labour's Chris Hipkins, said Tom Jamieson, a senior lecturer in political science at Victoria University of Wellington.

"For a party leading the incumbent government, National ran less on their record than you might have expected on their record and more about what their opponents were likely to do in power."

On the other hand, smaller parties including New Zealand First, ACT, the Green Party, Te Pāti Māori and the Opportunity party focused their efforts on policy initiatives and their vision for the country, Dr Jamieson said.

"In an electorate with a plurality that has consistently indicated they are on the wrong track, it could be that these parties benefit from dissatisfaction with the direction of the government," he said.

Polls have indicated it could be a tight election.

Results released tonight will indicate the election outcome and are expected to arrive over several hours. The official count begins tomorrow and the Electoral Commission is aiming to release the official results by November 27.

Professor Shaw expected it would be a long three weeks and said special votes — which take longer to count — may be consequential.

"We may have a clear result tonight but that seems unlikely," he said.