With only a few weeks to go until the election, discussions around the community, as well as Hibiscus Matters’ informal poll indicate a fair chunk of local voters remain undecided. This appears to reflect a trend around the motu. 

Several voters (in a wide range of age groups) spoken to by stand-in editor Terry Moore last week indicated that while they usually vote for one of the two major parties, this time around they are looking carefully at the minors – including ACT, Greens, NZ First and new kid on the block, Opportunity.

Whether this interest will translate into actual support for those parties, of course, remains to be seen. Sometimes when you have a voting paper in front of you, old habits can take precedence. This will not apply of course to the area’s first-time voters. This region’s demographic is changing as new housing developments bring in young families, and that could well affect how Whangaparāoa chooses to be represented in future.

Most of those that Hibiscus Matters spoke to who are considering a shift to minor parties said their main concern was that voting that way could lead to another awkward coalition between parties with different agendas. But such is MMP.

Regardless of who you vote for, the important thing is to vote.

To aid this process, our Election Feature put the same local interest questions to three of the candidates standing to be the next Whangaparāoa MP.

As well as National’s Mark Mitchell, Labour’s Estefania Muller-Pallarès and ACT’s Helena Roza, NZ Loyal’s Brenton Faithfull is also contesting the Whangaparāoa seat.

Faithfull was not listed as a candidate when the paper sent out these questions but we will offer him the opportunity and include his responses in the next edition, out November 2.

Hopefully the responses, and stories elsewhere in this paper, may help with the difficult choices for those still on the fence. 

The General Election has seen local Meet the Candidate events offer the community a chance to engage with vote-seekers face-to-face. Recently there were events at Ōrewa Bowling Club and Silverdale Hall. Still to come is a Coastie Young Voters ‘meet the candidates’ event scheduled for November 4 at Northern Union Gastro Pub in Silverdale at 7pm.

Whangaparāoa is also part of the Te Tai Tokerau Maori electorate. The seat is being contested by six candidates. Voting in it is only open only to voters who can declare Maori descent. More info on vote.nz website. 

---

Enrol to vote before deadline

Don’t leave it too late to have a say in this year’s General Election. The deadline to enrol to vote is midnight on Sunday, October 25.

This is particularly important for younger and first-time voters. Anyone who has recently turned 18, or will be 18 by election day, should check now that they are enrolled and their details are correct.

Anyone who is eligible but has not enrolled by the deadline will not be able to vote in the election. People who have moved should also check that their enrolment details are up to date.

Advance voting begins on Monday, October 26, with election day on Saturday, November 7. Voters can cast their vote at any voting place in New Zealand. Opening days and hours vary, and not all voting places are open throughout the advance voting period. On election day, all voting places will be open from 9am to 7pm.

Hibiscus Coast voting places include:

• Dairy Flat Community Hall, 4 Postman Road, Dairy Flat
• Evelyn Page Retirement Village, 30 Ambassador Glade, Ōrewa
• Gulf Harbour Town Centre, 158 Harbour Village Drive, Gulf Harbour
• Gulf Rise – Metlifecare, 89 Symes Drive, Red Beach
• Manly Methodist Church, 945 Whangaparāoa Road, Manly
• Maygrove Village, 65 Tauranga Pl, Ōrewa
• Ōrewa Baptist Church, 1 Centreway Road, access from rear car park, Ōrewa
• Ōrewa Beach School Hall, 280 Centreway Road, Ōrewa
• Ōrewa College Library, 76 Riverside Rd
• Ōrewa Community Centre, Main Hall, 40-46 Ōrewa Square, Ōrewa
• Ōrewa Primary School Hall, 86 Maire Road, Ōrewa
• PAK’nSAVE Silverdale, Portacom, 20 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Silverdale
• Peninsula Club – Arvida, 441 Whangaparāoa Road, Whangaparāoa
• Red Beach Methodist Church, 76 Red Beach Road, Red Beach
• Red Beach School Hall, 20 Albert Hall Drive, Red Beach
• Silverdale Centre Portacom, car park adjacent to KFC, Central Boulevard entrance, Silverdale
• Silverdale School Hall, 4 Longmore Lane, Silverdale
• Stanmore Bay Pool and Leisure Centre, Indoor Courts, 159 Brightside Road
• Stanmore Bay School Auditorium, 30 Waiora Road, Stanmore Bay
• The Botanic, 17 Small Road, Silverdale
• The Coast Whangaparāoa, downstairs next to the management office, 719 Whangaparāoa Road, Whangaparāoa

Check enrolment details and individual voting place opening times at vote.nz