My understanding of that argument is that if you have a company which engages in property speculation, the company will be taxed on its profits. However if you do exactly…

Isn’t that one of the pastimes…

I’m a…

Notice how I cleverly avoiding accusations of xenophobia by refering to Belgium? ;-)

There are lots of…

I agree with that. If Labour had replaced their CGT with a policy of cutting GST and increasing the tax rate in the top bracket, they…

Still not convinced we can achieve that in a country where the "money people" with trusts overlaps entirely with…

Its a comms problem, like most things. I bet you can outweigh…

Foreign investors didn’t tick National for their party vote, I’m not really here to debate the merits of the policy as quite obviously my understanding is too vague =), but I’d imagine I’m not alone, I’d wager there were quite a…

I understand what you're saying Mark. But a better example might take a foreign investor... the classsic Belgian dentist will do. He has loads of spare cash and buys 5 homes in Auckland for $800k* each. He rents them…

15% of the gain right? I don't think they would have got the hypothetical holiday home for free.

Had one of those back in the day. Ate bracken fiddleheads like it recommended, Only years later did I learn that they're carcinogenic. Probably an analogy for something there.

[tip: keep it in a ziplock bag]
There's a hard reign
is gonna fall...

Total votes counted: 2,112,522
Special vote: 254,630

From David’s link, the enrolment stats:

Est Eligible Population: 3,391,100
Total Enrolled: 3,096,247

I’m not sure if the…

My impression of Ohariu (currently renting here) is that although it’s very in favour of National, it’s also very polarised for and against Dunne.

It shows when a…

Now I'm cruising the web playing happy music and dancing around the house (with the curtains pulled so I don't scare the neighbours) to try to use exercise as a way of feeling…

No you can get there fairly well by correlating regional differences in demographics with the voting in each electorate. All public data and no need to go near the privacy…

I can see how they’d be able to generate turnout…

It’s a pattern that seems to have been repeated in Wigram and Christchurch East.

The people who need to be asked are those that live in Roskill and New Lynn.

But Labour need to both ask and listen. The answer may not be pleasant but it is important if Labour want…

What we’ve seen last night is the triumph of…

This!

Seriously the Labour party need to get out on the streets and go door knocking right now and ASK and LISTEN. They need to know what message people were giving when they voted for Goff but against Labour.

I don't think it's that simple. Yeah there will be a small number of people who actually would have lost significant wealth to the CGT but far far fewer than the number of voters who…

Key is as bent and viscous as they come – the word "Dirty" fits…

You appear to be describing the power of self-respect,…

Here we go then, another 1,094 days to look forward to
where the only hope on the horizon, is the rising sun...

I do hope they…

Having a little income from a rental to help tide things over is (though not mentioned here)…

No, Sofie, but if I was in Auckland Central I’d seriously consider splitting my vote in a similar way if it increased the odds of…

I was living in Sydney at the time of the Witlam dismissal in 1975. Strange days. In a poll taken in the lead up to the following election people were asked who they felt deserved to win, as well as their voting intention.…

To the extent that Harawira is seeking a fair shake for his people I…

Stranger things have happened. You’d imagine there’s a point where the rubber band of plausibility just snaps, but no.

Look…

Ah, so you consider pity from polls. Brilliant. Polls that noone can understand at the best of times?

Exactly, it don't make any sense.

I feel for Hone Harawira a bit. It must have been a tough night for him.

Sounds pretty enlightened,…

It’ll be ok Craig. You still got crusher et el.Tell me how or why does someone vote person Labour and Party National? It doesn’t make sense? Do people believe the economy shite…

Because she could claim,with some justification, to have foreseen where the MegaMana marriage was headed.

I actually know a couple of right-ish folks in Auckland Central who voted for Nikki Kaye but party voted Labour…

Part of the broader left, yes. Consistently contributing towards Labour's goals, no (IMO).

Why would you say she has been vindicated?

So would Sue Bradford, who with some justification must be feeling a touch vindicated, be part of that broader left?

One of the challenges I deal with when wearing my professional hat (I do love a good hat) is that some people will say pretty much anything that'll pass in risible efforts to "win the conversation". Whether or not these people succeed depends…

I'm going to try do the numbers cos it don't make sense and that scares me even!

Or Plan B, actually ask some hard and honest questions about why so many incumbent Labour MPs, most of whom held their seats by considerable margins, couldn’t carry the…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOdjCb4LwQY

1: Get massive turnout, which they've had a go at a few times now and it's just not the same as with Auntie Helen. It wasn't the same as with Auntie Helen even when it was, really, 2005 wasn't exactly glorious, and that's a long time…

On a night National claimed 48% support, I have to believe Labour can improve on 25%.

Key's leadership is aggregating the right's support, but total progressive support is…

I'd guess they lost some votes to IM. I know they lost mine to it. Not really that bummed about any of this, though. It's not like I was expecting the Left to win. The best I was hoping…

I think Bryce Edwards claimed earlier that he did well on specials last election.

perhaps Labour needs to relinquish its claim to the whole of the left rather than whatever parts it actually deserves to keep?

It won't be easy for Labour to reclaim the support National has accumulated. My own view is that the parties to the left of Labour are complicating its effort to present the image…

Electoral Commission spokeswoman Stasi Turnbull said a number of complaints had been lodged over breaches.

He turns up to everything in the electorate. Handy that it's so close to Parliament so it isn't the burden it is for an MP out of Wellington. I don't think he actually does anything tangible or helpful except…

I'm also surprised how slim Peter Dunne's margin is. Only 930. It was my impression he was a reasonably popular local MP, hence his longevity, but I…

Also, guys, that special vote block is enormous this time around (~10%), and I think it will have a fair number of conservative votes in it, I think they only need around 10-15k more, easily doable out of 250k or so.

So…

Hey, just got reminded. Colin Craig…

It's strange attempting to follow the election via the Herald app plus PAS, but the quiet on here tells its own story, I guess.

Link please, I must have missed that, I need cheering up this evening.

IM wasn’t. While it certainly wasn’t the reason they attracted my vote, their was a lot of facetious and condescending hot air blown about how Dotcom’s faux musical dabblings gave him some…

Internet-Mana had bloody good…

My bet will be that a lot of them had to cast special votes because of enrolling too…

If anyone would, he would.

(Disclaimer: I party voted IM, and I’m bloody old. Now what about all the yoof that fiftysomethings who really should have known better were predicting would be motivated & mobilised by Dotcom’s shitemusic?)

He was standing behind Leila Harre a few minutes ago, so I guess the answer is either yes, or he has a very expensive holographic representative

I don't think it'll be anywhere near enough. Word is that there are a lot of special votes this election, but I don't think it'll be enough to sway any of the seats. Most look like they have gone…

Depends on whether you reckon another Shane Jones is a good thing.

Having said that, last election what I heard from them was "well, yes, but I trust John Key". This election is was "well, yes, but we're doing alright".…

Hone Harawira is out by the look of it, that's a big cost to the left.

What I repeatedly hear from my partner, co-workers etc is that he 'looks fake', 'smarmy'. I get the feeling he says what he thinks people want to hear. He seems smug and pleased with himself. I would hear him on…

I know the precedent is watergate, and nixon's resounding re-election after the story broke, but god…

For me, though, this is making the decision to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK and move on later this year much easier to make. What Mark…

Clutha-Southland has got about 75% turnout, after specials.
Rangitata about the same. The big rural safe national seats are getting a somewhat low turnout and being counted first. It will swing left from…

In terms of Labour the problem is simply Cunliffe. I knew so many people who said they simply couldn't bring themselves to vote for him. Under Shearer,…

That. And Kelvin Davis has overtaken Hone Harawira in Te Tai Tokerau, with his margin growing as the vote comes in?

I'm worried.

They've had two elections where they only made it in by…

A clue as to my opinion: Juliet in funky choke hold (4,4,3).

(been sitting impatiently on that for an hour or two...)

Probably for the Blues :-p

Just as well advance voting was well up from last year's. It's accidentally become a…

It’s not particularly lovely here in Auckland either, but in a typical attempt to upstage the Aussies we’re not doing four seasons in one day but six to eight inside…

a) Syndicated off APNZ, so not exactly a Herald reporter rushing in breathlessly to file copy.
b) That's a moderately sizeable spill. Would cover quite a bit of a petrol station's…

An important part of parenting in my books.

Voting is sooo easy here in NZ .... I'd watched my partner vote…

Back in the sixties I seem to remember. Oh wait... that's a local secret and we're not supposed to tell anyone. ;-)

The good news for Dunedinites is that while snow to 500m is predicted later, we have wonderful blue skies and sunshine at the moment. It's a shorts and jandals day so there's no reason we shouldn't have…

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1111/S00555/media-activity-on-election-day.htm

It's the last non-election for my son (he'll be able to…

Sounds ideal. Have a lovely day!

I'll be voting Peter Dunne OUT tomorrow

You can check out previous election data to see how it shows up already.

I'm perfectly well aware of that, Rich. In other news, "negro" means black in both Spanish and Portugese, "bitch" is a perfectly acceptable term for a female dog,…

Only if the Conservatives reach the 5% threshold.

You can cast it if'n you want. It won't be counted. One could have enrolled up until today, but not tomorrow.

Surely no more than a public flogging? It's 2014 Ben, jeez.

And even if they did, presumably they'd be tried as minors and merely hanged, rather than being broken on the wheel like adult electoral law violators.

I'm still not sure we've reached peak cray, it has been a truly amazing election and I hope with all my heart that it has…

Chicken Nuggets, eh. When the inventor tried to give them away, people were…

There's still a disheartening number of students who expressed no interest, though. Perhaps it's only science students, who I'm most involved with.

People are posting photos today of really long queues at uni voting booths. While largely I would consider that people who advance vote are…

Of course, I meant Yes, but I suspect my brain went “No to staying in the UK”. The joys of referendum questions :)

And after the…

I was wondering if…

I'm not trying to bait you, I've been on here for years lurking. I was just genuinely curious because I would have thought that the easier it is to vote, the more people would be likely to do it. I was/am interested to hear…

Earlier this afternoon I was waiting to cross the Cumberland / Albany intersection. Nat list MP Michael Woodhouse, Nat Dn South candidate Hamish Walker and about 10 Young Nats were there, too.

A van goes by and…

Although! It’s looking very…

Couldn't agree more with…

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v361/limegreenz/jvote.jpg

2 days old

Yes, that is for sure, but I fear, that we will not get much "cleaning" if the voters do largely vote in something like the status quo.

I hope the polls are wrong, as they are largely land-line based,…