Who are you voting for and why?

(Please if we can just limit this to who you are voting for and why, I am interested to see the reasoning behind peoples decisions.)

As suggested by a political blog I saw I will explain my election decision:

I am voting for the Greens, Labour candidate, and MMP.

I am voting for the Greens as they are the only party with a sustainable idea for the future of New Zealand, they have an idea for job creation that is founded in solid research and has been labelled as the next big growth industry, they understand the real issues of child poverty and rapid environmental degradation that are founded on research and science. They understand that a more equal society is better for all of us. These are the main reasons but there are more.

I am voting for my Labour candidate because she's articulate and direct with her politics, doesn't spout the same catch phrases in order to make her point (from what I have seen) and understands the specific needs of my electorate, she has held herself well against her national party rival. Also, there is more likely to be a Greens government if I do.

Finally I am voting for MMP because it's the system that best represents all New Zealanders, for the alternative I am choosing STV as it's the most viable alternative.

I encourage others to post similar messages, no matter who you are voting for.

Voting exactly the same as you hun...Go Green ... Too tired to write a novel but I see child poverty here out West and it makes my heart break...I cant even fathom voting in a Government who dont openly address it...John Key is just so out of touch I really feel sick knowing he is going to continue running NZ ...

we read the smae or similar blogs....

Labour Candidtae, because I believe she will represent my electorate real well and be a benefit to the nation in the house, as she's already shown.

Party vote, I'm not 100% sure on, probably the Greens with a slim chance I may change to Labour - both have good policies that I believe in.

MMP cuase its a good system and represents all of us not just a few - if it wins will be tweeked to be better, FPP is my second option which is purely a tactical decision. I don't want there to be a second referendum, but if there is, I want MMP to go up against a system it can beat hands-down

I'm voting Greens. Two reasons, one is that I did that online test that you've linked before resist, and it was closest to the green party. The other reason is that I don't think Phil Goff is a good leader, and i'm hoping that if Labour lose, they will oust him and Labour will have a new leader (I am usually a Labour voter) which will give me better prospects for next election.

My MP vote is going to Ben Clark for Labour. I looked at all my candidates and I liked him the most. He had a little spiel about himself on the Labour website and he has his own website. The Green candidate was a raving cyclist hippie and Maggie Barry didnt even have anything to say for herself on the National page. I actually have been a little miffed at the lack of campaigning for my vote in the North Shore, I don't think anyone really cares which is a shame (but thats OT).

I'm going to stick with MMP because I don't like any of the alternatives.

Nice responses so far anyone voting National/Act/Mana/some alternative to MMP that would like to post? I am genuinely interested in your response (this isn't a thread for mocking your reasons it's to encourage the diversity of opinion).

I'm watching Mana... I may vote for them in the future.

same

I'll vote for MMP in referendum 'cos a review may produce reform although review is non binding, STV remains my second interest.

Don't like to reveal voting habits but National for MP and Greens for party vote to help put brakes on Nats (despite reservations about both). Banksie wanksie can go to hell. Giving him da b(r)ash.

If reforms to MMP do occur next election could be more interesting (and more representative?)

the possible/suggested reforms come from the electoral commission, the recommended changes (if any) are not legally binding, only suggestions for parliament to debate and implement or not as the case maybe

cheers for posting your choices NR - like you I'm not that comfortable saying whom I actually vote for (not that its hard to guess)

I'm voting Green for party vote because I think they're the only party that is truly committed to tackling climate change, and i think that climate change is the biggest issue currently facing the world. Also, I usually vote for a party to the left of Labour (or at least to the left of Labour on an issue that I feel is important - I once voted United Future because of their education policy). I do this because I want to arrest the rightward trend of labour.

For my electorate vote... well, I'm the helensville electorate, so I just picked some random guy who wasn't John Key. In the end I went with Labour, but was considering Mana or Maori - just thought it would be pretty cool if they only 1 vote and then I could say "That was me!"

Voting MMP on the referendum , because I believe it is the most democratic system - I would however like to see the threshold lowered, but not too much.

For the referendum on the first question i will vote to keep the current system, on the second question (if there was a change what system would you prefer?) i will vote for STV. (Note you cannot vote for MMP on q2).

I'm in a safe Labour electorate so will either vote Labour to give National no chance or Green to give them a boost in numbers.

Party vote will be Green for the first time (its usually Labour). I think the Greens have a good overall package of policies from economy through society to environment, so i see them as strong on all fronts. The decider for me is the issue of GW which has got to the point where it is now necessary for us to reorient our entire way of doing things in relation to the need to control this problem, and I dont see any other party being interested in doing this.

yeah and seeing that report on the Donaldson Plateau last night on Campbell Live SHOULD have people thinking

though Imma little with Adlai Stevenson on that

Why are people funny about revealing who they will vote for?

it is a very private/personal thing - or at least once was considered so

bit like showing your genitals - once reserved for sexual partners and health professional only, now just another thing to text

same as you resist.

First time voting :>

If he wasnt dead, Id be voting Vader. Luke can gtfo!

Secret ballot and all that.


He's alive!

http://tribune.com.pk/story/295777/darth-vader-claims-land-plot-in-ukraine/

Same as you, Resist. Especially with the Greens.

I am voting on the Maori role though, so will be attempting to usher in Shane Jones over Pita Sharples because I am sick of the Maori party. Their egos and right wing ideals do not serve the interest of all Maori any more, I believe.

MMP. (There is no other serious option for NZ, imo)



gc.

Electorate = National (I am in Epsom and want Act out)
Party = Green or NZ First (I love Winston, he makes politics far more interesting - but really, I am still undecided)
Voting System = Supplementary Member (Similar to MMP but with less hanger-ons)

I have a great deal of respect for Pita Sharples. He's a good dude, too good to be a politician.

I've lost much of my respect for Mr Sharples these last 3 years.... stay classy Pita you have so much to give that could benefit us all

He's probably just getting worn down from dealing with internal party dramas.

he made his bed, now lie in it with dignity

Party: Greens, for many of the reasons stated already, but also because I'm really impressed with some of the talent coming through, and their moving from being a heavily activist based party to something more sensible and common sense based. 2nd or maybe even 3rd time they have got my party vote.

Electorate: Jacinda Ardern over Nikki Kaye because she seems to have a lot of clue, is the type of fresh new blood Labour sorely needs, and because Kaye is a useless cow who claims to support lots of things in her electorate that are in total opposition to National party policy - i.e. transport being the main one.

I'll be voting to retain MMP, but I'd be looking at either STV or SM.

Note: It's probably a wise move to lock this thread on Saturday.

This. I've dealt with Sharples in the past and found him to be a real top bloke, and a very important resource for NZ, in terms of his academic work around Maori history - i.e. you wanna know something about ancient Maori weaponry? He's the guy who literally wrote the book.

But his time in politics leaves much to be desired.

I've made a note to lock it on midnight Friday.

Any other election threads that should be locked until polling is closed?

I'm voting NZ First. I've always liked Winston and at a glance I actually agree with quite a few of his current policies - no partial/any sale of state owned assets, building the economy through the export sector, welfare reform, racial equality, selective immigration, investment in defence, looking after elderly etc etc. He does polarise people but I've always liked him so I hope he gets back in.

http://www.biggie.co.nz/discussion/election_campaign_3 that one too, in the Lounge at least.

Party vote Greens. A lot of what others have said, I like their climate change and poverty policies. IMO their economic policy is fucking awesome, and they're the only party that seem to realise that traditional economic measures just aren't enough anymore. Green jobs, while great, I'm not entirely sold on, I would have liked to see them (and/or others) focus more on the high-tech sector, but hey, can't have it all.

Electorate: Charles Chauvel, Labour. This electorate needs some new blood after Dunne's 27 year reign. Chauvel is the only sensible option. Also slightly tactical, as I don't want Dunne in Govt.

Referendum: MMP. It's the only option that should be considered really. We've only had it for what, 15 years? Hardly enough time to decide whether it works well or not. Also believe in it more than any other system. I'm up for changing MMP though. Thresholds etc need looking at.

This is a fine point I've seen discussed elsewhere. If we change to another system, then it'll probably be another 15 years before we look at it again. Fix some of the issues MMP has, go from there.

I really like her. I wish I could vote for her

Severely skewed demographic we have in the lounge.

It's like 75% Greens!

Haha



gc.

futurists

if only we were representative!

Party Vote: Labour

The only social democrat party in New Zealand. Returning to its workers' roots. I like Phil Goff. I have some sympathy for some National policies, some Act policies, some NZ First Policies, and some Green policies - but Labour is #1. I don't like the hippy bullshit the Greens spout. They have plenty of good ideas, but they do not understand the blood and iron of government. NZ First would be good if they weren't a cult of personality.

Candidate Vote: PHIL GOFF, LABOUR. NZ's best politician except for Bill English. It's a sad indictment that Goff and English - two magnificent politicians with a superb grasp of policy are/have been so unpopular. Shows NZers are mostly tard.

System: MMP. Proportional. I'll take the idiots over one party dictatorship. I'd rather have a system where Mana and Colin Craig's Conservatives are in rather than out

i am undecided because i dont want asset sales (cant vote Nats) I dont feel comfortable with the greens on economic issues, and yet Labour dont inspire me either.
MMP preferably
STV if not.
interesting Bob-D about voting for FPP

lulz line *hic* key


should have been bureaucrats

he's an arch conservative don't you know?

I made it quite clear - I prefer MMP, I like MMP thats my first vote

second vote FPP is because I don't want there to be a second referendum, but if there is, I want MMP to go up against a system it can beat hands-down

yeh i did get it

but if you said it again even louder i might get it some more

I think the voting system aspect of this election is very confusing - stv was explained on nat radio very differntly to how its presented in the offical flyer, and then there is the odd situation of having two questions, and you can vote in either or both, and who knows the implications of selecting a non-mmp system in the 2nd one (you cant choose mmp in this question) if in the 1st one you say you want no change. I mean, why is that 2nd qn in there? What are the implications on voting in it or not if you dont want change? Why are they paying to collect this information if the only consequentual question right now is do we keep mmp or not?

Referendum's in this country are pretty terrible in general...

Remember the phrasing of the question on the "anti-smacking" bill

I don't really have time to give my reasons but this is the way I went.

Greens - Party Vote
Nikki Kaye - National (Candidate)
MMP.

Re-Action sir you surprise me!

Labour - Party vote. For all his nice guy image, Key is just another hardline money man, He believes in the market, It is all he knows. Labour offers a much more inclusive andd modern vision for New Zealand.

Jacinda Ardern - Labour - Electorate vote. Jacinda is a high flyer and much more effective politician than Nikki Kaye. Let's face it, Nikki Kaye was primarily picked from central casting to appeal to the demographics of the electorate, and that is about the beginning and end of her talent. Jacinda, on the other hand, has leadership potential on the national stage.

MMP. It is the fairest electoral system by far. we've had MMP for a while now, and it is going to be reviewed. I think it is better to keep MMP and tweak it to get rid of the bits that annoy us than throw it out for a new system with a whole new set of loopholes that be exploited.

Second choice? FPP, for tactical reasons others have outlined already.

Labour- Party vote. Many of the recent changes to the law etc and the use of parliamentary process by the National government to get them passed under urgency have left me feeling like National are a rather undemocratic party and a party that doesn't recognise the dignity of its citizens as much as it might do. They also appear to be quite a 'populist' party when it comes to some of their other justice policies. I also do not think that National have any real solution to child poverty and our horrendous child abuse statistics as they look to be treating symptoms as opposed to causes. I don't agree with their policy on benefits as they relate to single mothers on the DPB and them having to find work after a certain time frame. Making decisions based on anectdotal evidence (ie the Bazley report) is also never a good idea.

Candidate - Jerome Mika. Much more palatable option than Judith Collins - I was at a conference yesterday and that gun shooting photo was put up of her - she looks evil!

MMP. Much more democratic form of electoral system. I studied NZ politics in the first 2 years after the first MMP election and it was fascinating. I didn't know that Labour had had more votes than National a couple of times in previous elections but just hadn't won as many electorate seats. Every vote counts. People may moan that it provides a 'weak' government - but in my view it is much more representative of the country we live in and the fact that in life, as in politics, compromises do need to be made in order to get things done. I accept that part of MMP quite readily.

fishboy - definitely agree with you on jacinda ardern, she has potential to be a star.

FPP is currently polling close to MMP. like within 10%, you may want to reconsider

people are idiots resist. most of them prob don't have a good reason why fpp is better than mmp.

just like with capital gains tax and the 'justifications' as to why we don't need it given by the national party - another reason why i am voting labour.

Ugh... don't get me started on CGT

Gonna cast my vote in a few hours, can't get down to Auckland to cast my vote on Saturday cause I have to work so going to an advance polling place here :o

no sausage sizzles for advance voters... does this make you angry?

What I don't get with the capital gains tax is that all over the show there's so called experts who are supposedly neutral parties (tax scholars etc (imagine being one of those?!)) who say CGT is a bad idea. But I've looked into it a lot (wrote an essay on it this year even) and I can't find any study out that can find anything majorly wrong with it at all.

no one is neutral no matter how hard they try everyone has baggage they bring to the table - and for every tax there are good arguments for and against - the economy and the impacts tax et al has on that man made entity is a very grey science... not far removed from magic

if I sow these magic beans we'll all be rich from all the gold in the sky.... if I destroy these beans our land will be more productive and we'll stop relying on pie in the sky solutions to our problems....

America has it. Is that good enough reason not to, spike et al?? :>

This is why I hate tactical voting. You wind up with some odd shit that nobody wants because everyone was being too clever. How well might the system work if people just voted for their first choices.

Happily mine are my first choices and they're tactical too

sticking it to the manipulators makes me feel so glad

As are mine, Tactical voting has a high potential to backfire.

Pretty sure if we got FPP I would migrate until it was revoked.

If I don't choose a second option for the referendum, will my vote still count? I don't like any of the other options. At all.

yeah, you don't have to choose a second option.

If more than half the voters opt to change the voting system, Parliament will decide if there will be another Referendum in 2014 to choose between MMP and the alternative voting system that gets the most support in the second question in the 2011 Referendum.

So it's pretty important therefore that pro-MMP voters use that second option and vote for the most similar system which i think is STV so that FPP does not get a toe in the door

I disagree onehappy, second vote if you want to retain MMP should be for a system that has no chance in a subsequent referendum, hence my choice of FPP

no one except a few deluded old fools want FPP back

edit: a few deluded white male old fools

From the polls

39% favor FPP,
48% favor MMP, the rest is split

oh fuck polls.... they only represent some views

It's crazy to give FPP a potential foot in the door there's a lot of people that could support it

Everything about everything is broken and fucked because people do stupid shit like try to pre-empt the way a vote is going to go.

Voted last week as I will be in Taupo on Saturday and don't want to spend ages queuing with the other 10,000 cyclists!

Voted Greens, as I have done the two previous elections. The only party thinking about the future not just the next 3 years of office. Oh and Gareth Hughes is the man. I agree completely with them on transport, environmental and largely economic policy although when it comes to welfare I'd probably skew slightly more right wing. Still they are the party closest to my views, even if that stupid on the fence thing told me i should vote for United Future..

Electorate vote for Jacinda Ardern - I'm actually not in the CBD anymore (shhh) but parents still own the address where I am enrolled and I really don't want Nikki Kaye to get back in. I love Jacinda. "the difference between me and you is that my party agrees with me".

Voted to keep MMP too, all the other systems seem so unfair! SM was my choice if it did change.

That On The Fence site is terrible tbqh. Completely loaded questions with a clear left bias, and everyone I have heard about got United Future. I think I chose one "right" answer in the whole thing.

I've got a feeling their back end code is fucked.

I got one set of parties, clicked forward to the avater, and then clicked back to the party list and they had changed.

Also, don't think the questions have a left wing bias. You're just a leftie, so you think the questions sound nicer...

I gave up waiting for it to download at about 60 % it seemed screwed.

Porn downloads faster

Act party must be scraping the barrel. I just had a market research phone call a few minutes ago: "Would you be ore likely to vote for Act if Don Brash wasn't the leader?... Would you vote for Act if Rodney Hide was still the leader?"

My reply: "What do you mean, they fired Rodney? Noooooooooo!" lol

Don and John - bye byeee

Greens
Unsure for MP, was going to vote for Jacinda Arden but I met her th eother day and she assumed I was a National supporter so I am contemplating going double green, but also conscious that this is basically a waste of a vote in Auckland Central.
MMP for life.

Jacinda Arden = best looking MP in parliament?

This is pretty amusing, even for you Tom. So Nats took the shallow path and chose the candidate which they thought was aesthetically appealing but of course when Labour does the same, choosing the best looking Labour candidate in decades, it's purely on her leadership potential?

Pot > kettle > black

I'd even vote for her if she was in my electorate. She seems competent and calm.

not that I'd ever vote for her but Nikki has done some really good work in and for Auckland, not the stuff her party is all about so its not pushed/promoted - shame she can't campaign as a human rather than a party line spewing machine as we might actually see a much different person than we have if so

electorate MP's work for all their constituents no matter their political hue so feel free to put your vote where you think it is deserved

oh, but that's asking too much of a dyed in the wool red squaddy huh

It's best to ignore fish boy on anything relating to NZ politics, he's a card carrying member of Labour and past events have proven he is incapable of dealing with the slightest criticism of Labour, regardless of whether it's warranted or not.

I disagree you should read everything fishboy has to say - just be aware of his bias - same with everyone here and in the real world and make of it what you will

its those whom hide their bias one should fear imo