Australian shares are set to open higher on Tuesday, helped by gains in the country's prominent mining sector as prices of underlying commodities rose overnight.

The local share price index futures rose 0.1%, a 19.6-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark had closed 0.2% lower on Monday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.3% to 12,682.13 in early trading.