Todd's 62 was the lowest score he has posted since turning professional in 2010 and it gave him a one-shot lead over the Australian trio of Travis Smyth, Andrew Dodt and Andrew Martin.
Dodt and Martin had earlier grabbed the clubhouse lead when they produced identical scores of 64 at the par-72 Hills course in the morning.
Thailand's Poom Saksansin and Pavit Tangkamolprasert as well as recent Asian Tour winner Paul Peterson of the United States are among a host of players bunched in a share of 11th place, three shots off the lead.
Todd, who is playing in New Zealand for the first time in his career, was quick to adapt to the playing conditions.
The 31-year-old took advantage of his accurate short game to put himself in a commanding position.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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