Voting Local 2010
499 Responses
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Interesting is one way to descibe how many candidates describe themselves as "independent" rather than acknowledge long-standing affiliations. Dishonest might be another..
Some political parties don't allow their members to stand under their banner at some levels, so there isn't a lot those people can do about that.
It also wouldn't be paticularly honest to put your name under a political party when most of them don't have local body policies developed for local body elections, like they do for general elections - you'd be standing for a general idea or something that you were several years ago, rather than something you're going to be over the next three years.
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I tend to vote by narrowing the list down to the candidates I hate the least.
I start by crossing out anyone with "C&R" next to their name. Then I check to see if any of them have ACT affiliatiions. By that time I've already eliminated a third of the candidates.
The next thing I do is cross out any candidate who uses the word "vibrant" in their election materials. After that I'm probably down to just a couple of candidates.
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I start by crossing out anyone with "C&R" next to their name.
Yes, I found this to be a great start!
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Interesting that Brian Neeson is describing himself as an independent, and playing up his HRC role.
Well he used to be National, but left the party in 2002 when he was defeated in his bid for selection for the Helensville seat. Some money-trader guy got the job, as I recall.
So he is independent, in the sense that he's not National-affiliated.
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I'm not sure I'll vote on most of the questions. I don't feel the least bit informed, and that's mostly because I don't care. Sad but true. I'll probably vote for the mayor, but not because I know much about Brown, more because I just don't trust Banks. If I just vote on general left affiliation, it sounds like it would be no less thought than most people are putting into it.
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Everybody in the Capital and Coast DHB region - please vote for David Choat of the Policy Progress blog and the 'Care Not Cuts ticket.
Declaration; David's a close friend of mine I've known since Uni.
I'm really happy Hilary's encouraged people to support David. His statements speak for themselves so I'll not paraphrase. I will add that he's an incredibly experienced and well regarded advocate who has extensive experience in health policy. He's not given to bullshit and is up front about his beliefs and his priorities. His statements about community consultation and engagement are a genuine reflection of his approach which is inclusive and transparent.
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Cycling in Auckland has a list of cycle-friendly candidates.
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Am I the only expat who can/is voting in these elections? I confess it's a little odd, more so than voting in the General Election. My understanding is that to retain voting rights as an expat citizen, you need only visit NZ for two weeks (contiguous I think) once every two years.
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And yet if you collect a pension you must not be out of NZ for more than 6 months, otherwise you lose it. Whether you spent your life earning it or not.
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Interesting is one way to descibe how many candidates describe themselves as "independent" rather than acknowledge long-standing affiliations. Dishonest might be another..
Why? I voted for Ann Hartley - and she's actually spent more time in local government than she ever did in Parliament (a wee factoid she's hardly kept under wraps). Then again, If you already hate her guts -- or Brian Neeson's -- any cudgel will do, I guess.
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Then again, If you already hate her guts -- or Brian Neeson's -- any cudgel will do, I guess.
Brian Neeson? He must be raging at Garrett's fate since he was the original proponent of the three-strikes law. Unlike Garrett, he was only ever an idiot.
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Dishonest might be another..
Why?
Well take one high profile example from this Auckland election: when your campaign manager a current councillor on the C&R ticket, but you're describing yourself as "independent" it does strike one as tending towards dishonest.
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And yet if you collect a pension you must not be out of NZ for more than 6 months, otherwise you lose it. Whether you spent your life earning it or not.
My Dad dealt with that on his return from an annual holiday. He ended up at Phil Goff's office and I must admit he did achieve some satisfaction but did emphasize his displeasure at being treated as a child with restrictions on his travel.There is a provision in certain countries that NZ will grant the pension to one outside the normal regime but that has to be addressed before travel commences.
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"Whether you spent your life earning it or not."
That's a very interesting claim. Arguably, since Muldoon nixed Labour's superannuation plan, what we have is not superannuation or a pension (ie something funded out of explicit payments from your income) but an elderly persons' benefit.
If you you want to bugger off out of the country for more than 6 months and still be paid out of my damned taxes, well you shouldn't have voted for Rob in the 70s, that's what I say.
-->insert multiple smilies here
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I know it's not about voting, but lest we forget for whose benefit a region was rogered:
Auckland's building industry has been upset for many years by inconsistencies in approach and time delays in the processing of consent applications by different councils in the region.
The region's building industry sees the controls area as a litmus test of the success of the Super City.
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Daily updated voting returns for Local Boards 22nd Sept:
Albert-Eden (Maungakeikie) 5.50%
Albert-Eden (Owairaka) 4.80%
Maungakiekie-Tamaki (Maungakiekie) 7.40%
Maungakiekie-Tamaki (Tamaki) 7.00%
Waitemata 5.60%
Waiheke 5.60%
Great Barrier 16.00%
Puketapapa 5.80%
Whau 4.80%
Orakei 7.50%Discounting Barrier, leader is Orakei, then Maungakiekie-Tamaki (Maungakiekie division) and (Tamaki division).
Orakei counts Remuwera, and Eastern Bays, while Maungakiekie counts Meadowbank down to Glen Innes, Tamaki, Pt England, then through Mt Wgton / Ellerslie to Onehunga.
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Interesting that someone claims they
champions struggles against racism and for the rights of women, Maori, and immigrants
Yet in the same breath
oppose NZ government bullying of Pacific nations like Fiji
I don't see the current Fiji government doing a lot for the struggles she champions
Doublethink, comrade, doublethink.
Your criticism is tripleplusungood.
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I know it's not about voting, but lest we forget for whose benefit a region was rogered:
Oh, yes, those consent delays are such a thorn in the side of progress.
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Neutrality is soo last year.
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The Granny notes...
Independents or not? -
This might be rather tasteless, but my first reaction on hearing of the death of Graeme Hunt was "did I vote for him, in the end?"
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The Granny notes...
Independents or not?That goes to the heart of what I'm uncomfortable with here. In national elections, people use party affiliation to determine, in lieu of detailed policy statements from each and every candidate, how they can expect people to act once elected.
In local body politics, people don't even have that marginal level information about an individual's policy positions, so all they have is party affiliation. Declaring oneself "independent" removes even that heuristic and turns voting into something like a lottery. Candidates should be required to declare previous formal political associations and positions held at the very least, as well. Ideally I'd like to see brief biographies written by independant auditors made a requirement, though I know that local body politicians value the ignorance of their electorates too much to ever go for that.
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Candidates should be required to declare previous formal political associations and positions held at the very least, as well. Ideally I'd like to see brief biographies written by independant auditors made a requirement
If the primary piece of information provided about Richard Prebble and Roger Douglas was that they used to be in the Labour Party, that wouldn't help much would it.
You're expecting higher standards of information than that provided in general elections - substantially more, given that in local body elections you get a blurb and photo of each candidate, in a general election you just get party lists with their names on it.
Would it be unreasonable to expect voters to actually take an hour or two to find out a little information about the candidates before they vote? Read a little media, attend a candidates meeting etc?
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If you you want to bugger off out of the country for more than 6 months and still be paid out of my damned taxes, well you shouldn't have voted for Rob in the 70s, that's what I say.
I'm pretty sure Dad didn't ever vote for National. He has, however, worked his entire adult life in NZ for the Government, helping problem children. Seems funny that the reward for that is having to check in with immigration about your travel plans, that retirement isn't a time to kick back and do some of those things that you never could when you had a full-time job, apparently. Like taking long trips.
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3410,
Independents or not?
Reminds me of the fellow who, last week, was approached in the street by a canvasser who inquired, "You look like you're against John Banks?". After receiving a reply in moderate affirmation, the electoral worker continued, "Good. Then vote for us, because we're against him too. We're called Citizens and Ratepayers".
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