Our top town for voter turnout
Today is the last day to post your votes in local government elections. The garden city has pulled ahead on voter turnout, with its numbers also ahead of 2016 and 2019 turnout
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday, October 4, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: details of university staff strike to be revealed today; rolling closures planned for Auckland rail lines; Tuvalu may only exist in the metaverse by 2100; but first, voter turnout lifting but still causing concern.
Today is the last day to post your votes in the local government elections (Image: Tina Tiller)
Christchurch pulls ahead
Toby Manhire has crunched local election voter turnout numbers again, on this the last day to post your vote, and Otautahi Christchurch is the shining star. Turnout is currently ahead of 2016 and 2019 numbers. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. This is the city where 29,978 individuals and groups submitted on whether the stadium should go ahead in July and where councillors including frontrunner for mayor Phil Mauger gave the proverbial middle finger to the government on housing density rules, If nothing else, that was a flex of sorts. The idea of a supercity is being floated. The current council's approval rating is low.
Race tighter in Auckland and turnout is lifting
Both our largest and second largest cities have mayors departing after decent terms. Exciting mayoral races tend to lift voter turnout but Christchurch’s mayoral race hasn’t been quite as tight as others with Mauger tipped to be ahead fairly early on. In Auckland, the race is tighter. Turnout is lifting but is currently just below the same point it was in 2019. Toby Manhire sizes up the current state of play in Auckland this morning. In Wellington, Stuff’s Erin Gouley has made the assessment that it's difficult to separate the three main contenders for mayor. The Spinoff has coverage of elections in plenty of other areas here.
Prime minister hints at need to look at how local elections are run
Concern about low turnout has reached the point where the prime minister is expressing concern. Yesterday Ardern said this is “the time for Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) to sit down and just have that conversation around the way that people vote for local elections." Helpfully, we have a mechanism for these conversations by way of the inquiries held after each local government election. LGNZ makes submissions to those and in 2019, agreed there were elements that could be centralised. LGNZ asked that the Electoral Commission be given the mandate to work with local government “to develop a coordinated communications and engagement campaign to increase the community’s awareness of local elections” in their submission on the 2016 elections. The postmortem on the 2022 elections may be the catalyst to finally drag recommendations about the running of local government elections from the 2016 and 2019 inquiries back into the light.
We are once again asking you to get your votes in
I feel a bit like Bernie Sanders at this point, but this is the PSA section of today’s Bulletin. There will be plenty of time for the postmortem but time is ticking to get your votes in. Today really is the last day to post your vote if you want it to arrive in time. Shanti Mathias has a very good explainer on what to do, including advance scenario planning for those who don’t or can’t post their papers today or need to cast a special vote. If you’re still not sure who to vote for, check policy.nz or read Stuff’s Katie Townshend’s list of qualities you should look for in a candidate.If you or anyone else needs a positive affirmation to get motivated, José Barbosa has you covered. Finally, I hope the students of Otago University forgive me for ending with this story from Critic Te Arohi as a kind of cautionary tale. The Ski Club has obtained a dominant grip on the student association executive following low turnout. Great if you’re in the Ski Club, perhaps less so if you’re not.
Doing good across Aotearoa
Z Energy’s Good in the Hood programme has been running for almost a decade, delivering more than $8m to local charity and community groups across Aotearoa. The groups for this year’s initiative have been chosen, with voting now open at Z stations nationwide. Every time you shop in-store until the 24th of October you’ll have the opportunity to vote for your favourite organisation, with $4,000 available at every Z site. Just put your orange tokens in the box you like best, and you’ll be making things easier for the groups making a difference in our lives. Learn more about Good in the Hood here. (Sponsored)
Details of university staff strike to be revealed today
The Tertiary Education Union will today reveal details of strike action to be taken by over 7,000 staff at eight universities across New Zealand. The union is asking for an 8% pay rise for its members, who range from academics to university support staff. Talks to negotiate pay increases remain at a stalemate. It’s expected the strike will take place this week. Staff have the backing of student associations but some students were surprised to hear about the strike action yesterday. Responses ranged from concern about upcoming exams to wondering if they will now get an extension on their assignments.
Auckland rail lines set for rolling closures until 2025
Auckland Transport and KiwiRail announced plans yesterday for a $330 million rebuild of rock foundations under train tracks in Auckland. Three main train lines in Auckland will be affected over three years with the Southern Line, the Eastern Line and the Western Line services closed for long periods of time. Bus replacement services will run instead. Rail historian André Brett has called the situation an “omnishambles”. In a blog post Brett outlines why he thinks we’re in this situation and questions why the public weren’t informed sooner when some officials knew seven months ago that the work was required.
Our members make the difference
Their support ensures we can continue to employ and commission diverse voices covering stories from a range of perspectives and make them freely available to all. From Spinoff stalwarts Toby Manhire and Alex Casey to young writers like Charlotte Muru-Lanning and Shanti Mathias, our journalists and contributors do valuable work that is only possible with the support of readers like you. If you can, support the team and donate today.
A digital rendering to remember Tuvalu by
With rising seas expected to submerge Tuvalu by 2100, Eselealofa Apinelu, Tuvalu’s former attorney general and current high commissioner to Fiji, told a conference last week that Tuvaluans needed “something they can hold on to” and posited that the island could be recreated in something like metaverse. I have to say, it sounds very bleak but this may be where we’re at. Apinelu also called on the Australian and New Zealand governments to simplify migration laws for those facing the loss of their home, rightly pointing out, that people can not be digitised.
Click and collect
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Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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