Election Night 2017: What are these early numbers telling us? With 5% of the count in based on advanced vote, the polls look roughly right. This is a big enough sample to say that National is almost certainly going to finish first. They’ll be in a strong position to form a government, whether with NZ … Read more
Election Night 2017: The Spinoff is at tonight’s National, Labour and Greens parties in central Auckland. Simon Wilson sets the scene. Middlemore emergency specialist and Labour Party loyalist David Galler is standing at the front of the Labour room with Mike Mizrahi, the event impresario who is running the Labour show tonight. “Just a couple … Read more
As we prepare to look at the first results, what clues do we have about young voter numbers? The idea of a youthquake has gained currency across this election, spurred by the evidence that young people appear motivated by Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, talk of a generational tide, and reference to the achievement of Jeremy … Read more
Election Night 2017: The numbers tend to change in the final count. Here’s what we reckon are the thresholds for survival in advanced votes. We’ve been banging on about advance votes and the enrol’n’vote combo offer and special votes for a bit now, but as we await the great democratic sky with our arms outstretched, … Read more
Which electorates to watch? In some of them, the spread of the party vote will tell you heaps about how the whole night is going. In others, high-profile local candidates will confound the big trends. Who said it’s just about counting the numbers. Sure, the relative size of the urban swing to Labour and the … Read more
Tomorrow from 7 pm, the election results will start seeping onto every transistor radio, television screen and phone tree in the country. It’ll be thirsty work, so we’ve put together a little something to keep spirits up. With apple juice, obviously. Take a sip when you hear/see: “Neck and neck” “Drag race” “Jacindamania” “Stardust” “Knife … Read more
The simple answer: we could know super-fast, and it could take an age. Toby Manhire explains. Much like Bill English’s historic walk-run innovation, the election results will come at two paces: fast, right up in the grill, and slow, almost downright leisurely. But first, the Electoral Commission’s official targets: All advanced vote numbers available by … Read more
The campaign for the Māori seats has been defined by drama and intrigue, with noble families protecting ancient fiefdoms and usurpers lurking around every corner like some kind of popular fantasy series. As of 19 September, 241,602 people were enrolled on the Māori electoral roll with the 18 – 24 group by far the largest … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. Today: a look back at some of the faces and sounds of the election campaign.
As the clock strikes 7pm Saturday, here’s the coverage we’ll be doing on this, The Spinoff website. ROAMING Our Auckland editor and notorious party liaison Simon ‘Van Wilder’ Wilson will be getting in the thick of the mirth and misery at the official election night parties of National, Labour and The Greens. That’s a lot … Read more
Unless you have eight eyes like some kind of politically-engaged spider, your second most important decision tomorrow will be choosing which channel to watch the election results on. Luckily, we’re here to help For the Spinoff’s election night plans, scroll all the way to the foot of this page 1 NEWS Vote 17 Election Night … Read more
With one side calling it a working class win and the other fearing a return to the 1970s, Jihee Junn attempts to separate fact from fiction when it comes to Labour’s Fair Pay Agreements. Earlier this year, former Labour leader Andrew Little got up on stage at E tū union’s Auckland headquarters to share his … Read more
Jamie Wall looks back at the years in which the rugby may or may not have changed the course of our political history. It’s no secret that rugby means a lot to New Zealanders. There’s been studies on how our obsession for the national game affects society off the field, for example how a single … Read more
The Advertising Standards Authority and Broadcasting Standards Authority have both dismissed a complaint against National’s ‘Let’s Tax This’ ad. Lawyer Steven Price, who advised on the complaint, explains why he thinks they got it seriously wrong. When I first saw the National Party’s blatantly misleading ‘Let’s Tax This’ ad, I thought: the Advertising Standards Authority would … Read more
In low income areas of New Zealand, where there is very low voter turnout, children and highly engaged principals are making a big difference. Kirsten Warner shares the Bring An Adult to Vote initiative. At Holy Family School in Porirua, the $40 cost of the school three-photo pack was beyond the reach of many families. … Read more
Has the Jacindaphoria evaporated? Who won the last debate? Are National’s attack lines defensible? What happened to NZ First? Who will win the election? The Gone By Lunchtime team fearlessly answer these questions with definitive and irrefutable opinions. We’re leaving together. But still it’s farewell. And maybe we’ll come back, To earth, who can tell? I … Read more
Election day isn’t just for voting, there are countless rules to follow between the hours of 12am and 7pm on September 23rd. Professional voter Madeleine Chapman spells them out. At 11:59pm on Friday September 22nd, New Zealand will be as it has been for the past two months. Drowning in a swamp of an election, … Read more
What could a TV2 election special from 2002 teach modern news producers as they prepare for Saturday night’s big event? Calum Henderson investigates. Election night has historically been one of the biggest events in live television, second only to the telethon. This year, all the major newsy channels will be working hell for leather, designing … Read more
Since the Policy tool launched on the Spinoff last month, its creators have watched people arrive by the tens of thousands to learn about the parties’ positions. What lessons have they drawn? There’s a right way and a wrong way to think about voting. First you have to care. Easy enough. Then you’ve got to … Read more
It was make or break for Daenerys and Stannis Jacinda and Bill tonight on the back of a horrorshow poll result for Labour. So did either deliver a knockout blow? Duncan Greive: this election is going to be incredibly close and I don’t know who will win An original take, I know, but to be … Read more
Bill English and Steven Joyce’s ruthless strategy appears to be thriving, as the drag race nears the finish line. For a while now, the National Party strategy has been two-pronged. First, scare the living shit out of wavering voters over the economic credibility of the Labour Party. Second, stare sternly at old-school blue voters who … Read more
Scientist Dr Mike Joy writes about his experience of watching a private Facebook status become a very public endorsement. Editors update: after publishing the below piece The Spinoff received a phone call hotly disputing it from TOP’s Sean Plunket. He claimed to possess and has since provided an email from Mike Joy dated 11.17am on … Read more
The 36 Questions Project is a series in which Meg Williams takes a politician on a date and asks them the 36 Questions, a series of conversation starters designed to make two people fall in love. In this final instalment, Williams dates Green Party candidate Chlöe Swarbrick. Previously on the 36 Questions Project: United Future … Read more
In 1996, NZ First went into coalition with Winston Peters’ old party. In 2005 it propped up a Labour government. Branko Marcetic looks back at those examples and how they fared. Only a few months ago, with Labour in polling doldrums and an apparent mood of anti-establishment change in the air, New Zealand First seemed … Read more
Calum Henderson watches Face the Classroom, TVNZ’s two-night special that forced our politicians to confront their harshest critics yet – the children of NZ. Move over Mike Hosking, Paddy Gower, Lisa Owen – it turns out the best political interviewers of this election campaign might just be a classroom of 8-12 year old kids from Ellerslie … Read more
On Friday the Māori Party issued a press release that criticised Labour for legalising same sex marriage. An aghast Laura O’Connell Rapira responds. It’s never easy being takatāpui. Within the queer community, we can be subjected to exclusion and discrimination based on our culture and heritage. In the Māori community (and indeed in society as … Read more
After several years of flirting with the bloodsport we call politics, 2014 New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan has entered the fracas, announcing he will run for the Māori Party in 2020. But why? And what does he stand for? Don Rowe finds out. When I profiled Dr Lance O’Sullivan last year he … Read more
Five days out from the election, is the Jacinda effect still alive? As farmers protest in Morrinsville amid talk of a rural-urban divide, Toby Manhire joins the Labour leader on the trail in Whanganui. Jacinda Ardern is up the front, in 1C. On a big plane, it’s a posh seat – but there are no … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. Today: Bill English and Jacinda Ardern ruminate on their campaigns so far.