Category: Election

Electoral Commission  Voting has started in the 2017 General Election, with advance voting places now open around the country. Anyone who is ready to vote can cast an advance vote between September 11 and September 22 at one of the 480 advance voting places right around New Zealand.  Voters can also enrol, check or update their enrolment details at an…

Thakur Ranjit Singh  In 1936, British monarchy faced a crisis when King-Emperor Edward VIII had to abdicate the throne because he proposed to marry a divorcee, Wallis Simpson. As a result of that abdication, today we have Queen Elizabeth II as Head of Commonwealth when her father George VI took over from his brother Edward, and the Queen inherited the throne through…

Priyanca Radhakrishnan  As we come to the end of the campaign period, and the General Election looms closer many people have asked me what a day on the campaign trail looks like. So, here is a sneak peek. Early start My day usually starts at about 6 am. If I do not have a train station to visit, I spend…

Gurbrinder Aulakh It is for the first time ever that I, a strong critic of Winston Peters and his party, may be voting for him. Why ‘May be?” I will explain later. Why this sudden shift in not only my thinking, but perhaps also that of many other New Zealanders, who in general hate policies of the New Zealand First…

Venkat Raman  An election forum, called, ‘Meet the Voter’ organised by the Indian Association of New Zealand (IANZ) on September 2 at its Papatoetoe headquarters was marred by unruly behaviour of Sunny Kaushal, Leader of the Crime Prevention Group (CPG). Appearing on behalf of their Party were Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi (National), Priyanca Radhakrishnan (Labour), New Zealand First (Mahesh Bindra), Green…

All that political skullduggery is leading towards uncertainty Anil Sharma Some people think that it is better not to vote in an election, since they do now know to whom their precious vote should go. “There are other means to make my views known. I would rather waste my vote than casting it to choose a person I do not…

Roshan Nauhria In many ways, this is a significant election for New Zealand. Interestingly, there are multiple policies on the battleground of major parties. While one Party has promised not to increase taxes, another has offered free education for the first year and another one has highlighted the abysmal state of the carbon emissions. Promises made in the election manifestos…

Jenny Salesa  Getting skills and training policies right plays a crucial role in ensuring that young people leave school and get earning or learning, improving our workforce, creating jobs and tackling New Zealand’s housing crisis. As I move around the community, people tell me that their number one issue is housing. They are shocked at our levels of homelessness. Cold,…

Michael Wood I believe that Bill English is an honourable person who has worked as hard as he can for our country. As we enter the final week of a dramatic election campaign, the mood for change that is building in New Zealand is not because of any personal hostility to Mr English, but the feeling that after nine years,…

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi Since National formed the government in November 2008, its sound and robust policies and programmes have helped the economy to grow. Our economy is one of the fastest growing in the developed world. It has registered impressive performance over the past 24 quarters. National has led a responsible government and managed finances well; our businesses and people…