It is not official or scientific, but it is tasty. A Queenstown pie merchant is letting residents vote with their taste buds on who will govern New Zealand, by selling party pies.
Eat Humble Pie co-owner Mike Burke invited Wakatipu voters to go to the pies from today, before they go to the polls on Saturday.
Mr Burke and baker Panadda "Beau" Vorasinsiri said yesterday it took four hours to decorate the 25 special steak and cheese pies with food colouring and logos for sale at the Camp St kiosk.
Blue and red food colouring for the National Party, red for the Labour Party, blue for Act New Zealand, black for New Zealand First and green for the Green Party.
Which party pies will prove to be too hot to handle?
Which ones are flaky, which ones are crusty and which ones are full of hot air?
Meanwhile, real election day polling places will be set up in the Queenstown Memorial Hall, the Queenstown Events Centre, St Margaret's Church in Frankton, Lakeland Park Christian Camp at Kelvin Heights, Arrowtown Primary School, Glenorchy School and the Kingston Fire Brigade meeting room from 9am to 7pm.
Advance voting is available in the memorial hall and St Margaret's Church hall.
• The Queenstown Times will check back with Mr Burke to see which party was top of the pies and whether it matched New Zealand's appetite for the next three years.
