Democracy needs voters to vote

When General Election voting starts next week (October 2), voters in the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate will have six candidates to choose from, two fewer than in 2020.

The electorate has always been a National Party stronghold so it will be a surprise if anything much changes locally. Even in the last election, with the massive swing to Labour, National won the seat comfortably with 45 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour’s 35 per cent.

But every vote counts because voting is possibly the most powerful way that ordinary Kiwis can signal to politicians what they care about and what issues they want the government to prioritise.

If local candidate meetings are any indication, Mahurangi voters are as concerned about cost of living increases as the rest of New Zealand. People are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and they want the parties to spell out clearly their plan to address high grocery costs, escalating fuel prices and housing costs. As in any election, it can be hard to separate concrete policy from slogans.

Health, education and law and order are also occupying people’s minds as they decide which box to tick on the ballot paper. Closer to home, local voters have been keen to learn how the parties plan to provide the infrastructure this area needs as it grows, often blurring the line between central government and local government responsibilities.

One promise common to all parties is the commitment to continue the motorway network north, at least to Te Hana. But this is an easy promise when it’s not backed up by timeframes and any agreed funding plan.

In 2020, 86 per cent of eligible voters in the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate voted, slightly higher than the national figure of 81.5 per cent. But that’s still nearly 7500 people (655,094 nationally) who through apathy or ignorance are failing to participate in the democratic process. Voting is a privilege denied to many people in this world, so the message is simple: get informed and get out and vote.

The field

Standing in Kaipara ki Mahurangi are:

Brent Bailey, ACT NZ
Sarah Brewer, Democracy NZ
Zephyr Brown, Greens
Jenny Marcroft, NZ First
Chris Penk, National
Guy Wishart, Labour

Note: Brenton Faithfull is no longer standing for NZ Loyal, after what he described as an “administrative issue”. He declined to comment further. In a video clip, party leader Liz Gunn said that Faithfull had been omitted from the final list as the result of an “administrative error”. The Electoral Commission now only lists three candidates for NZ Loyal – Gunn, and two others.

Open invitation
Mahurangi Matters invited all candidates contesting the Kaipara ki Mahurangi seat to submit a short biography of themselves and answer some questions relevant to the electorate. Only National, Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens responded. No correspondence was received from Democracy NZ candidate Sarah Brewer or ACT Party candidate Brent Bailey. Brenton Faithfull, who was announced as a candidate for NZ Loyal, but who is not on the final list of candidates, also did not respond.

Diverse venues open to vote this election

There are a range of alternative polling places this election that include marae, sports clubs and even supermarkets.

The Electoral Commission says it has worked with communities to put voting places in spaces that are easy to access for as many people as possible this year, which locally will include Pak’nSave Warkworth, New World Mangawhai and Puhoi Fire Station.

There will be four venues in Warkworth, two marae at Te Hana and Makarau will open, plus several new community and sports halls will be open for voting for the first time.

Voting starts on Monday, October 2 and people can cast their ballot at any voting place they choose.

While many polling stations will be open only on election day itself, Saturday October 14, others will open on specific days, for a week or, in a few instances, for the entire voting period.

The Electoral Commission’s deputy chief executive of operations Anusha Guler says the new voting places are aimed at making voting easy for people going about their everyday business.

Info and map: https://map.vote.nz/voting-places

Where and when to vote locally
Te Aroha Pā Marae, 2558 Kaipara Coast Highway, Oct 4
Pūhoi Fire Station, 52 Ahuroa Road, Oct 14
Mahurangi West Hall, 401 Mahurangi West Road, Oct 14
Mahurangi East Tennis Club, 296 Mahurangi East Road, Oct 7-14
Mahurangi College Hall foyer, 2 Woodcocks Road, Oct 14
Warkworth Masonic Hall, 3 Baxter Street, Oct 2-14
Warkworth School Hall, 35 Hill Street, Oct 14
Pak’nSave Warkworth, Hudson Road, Oct 2-14
Matakana Community Hall, 43 Matakana Valley Road Oct 7-14
Point Wells Hall, 5 Point Wells Road, Oct 14
Omaha Beach Bowling Club, 1 Northwest Anchorage, Oct 14
Leigh School, 22 Hauraki Road, Oct 14
Tomarata School Hall, 8 Pakiri Block Road, Oct 14
Wellsford District Community Centre, 1 Matheson Road, Oct 2-14
Te Hana Te Ao Marama Māori Cultural Centre, SH1, Oct 7-14
Port Albert Hall, 980 Port Albert Road, Oct 14
Tapora School, 1 Okahukura Road, Oct 14
Kaiwaka War Memorial Hall, Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road, Oct 14
Mangawhai Beach School Recreation Centre, 34 Insley Street, Oct 14
New World Mangawhai Car Park, 83 Molesworth Drive, Oct 2-14
Maungaturoto Centennial Community Hall, 44 View Street, Oct 7-14
Paparoa School, 14 Franklin Road, Oct 14
Waipu Coronation Hall, 47 The Centre, Oct 2-14
Ultimate Care Ranburn, 7 Nova Scotia Drive, Waipu, Oct 6