Electoral Commission

Anti-euthanasia flyers in EasyVote packs: new complaints emerge

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More people are coming forward to say they found referendum campaign pamphlets in their EasyVote packs, but mystery continues to surround how they got there. Alex Braae reports. Stacey Hone’s routine with the mail is very simple. She goes to the mailbox, sorts it then and there, and only takes addressed mail inside the front … Read more

Complaint laid after assisted dying ‘vote no’ flyers found in official EasyVote packs

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Four members of a Northland household opened their official election information packs to find promotional material from a group opposing the End of Life Choice Act, they have told The Spinoff. Alex Braae reports. EasyVote packs have been sent out around the country ahead of the October 17 general election and referendums. But some of … Read more

The Bulletin: Now the election campaign really starts

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Labour launches campaign while National releases list, frantic final days at parliament wrapped, and new poll shows Shane Jones in trouble in Northland. Some would say the campaign has been underway for months in a proxy form, but officially, it’s now all on. The parliamentary term … Read more

Minor parties furious at low allocation for TV and radio campaigning

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Five minor parties have joined forces to challenge the big two parties – and the Electoral Commission – about their low allocation of public funding for election broadcasts. Alex Braae reports. A coalition of minor parties has emerged to challenge the allocation of public funding for election broadcasts, the majority of which has been locked … Read more

Here’s how much public money each party will get for the election

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National and Labour have once again dominated the Electoral Commission’s broadcast allocation, reports The Spinoff’s minor party correspondent Alex Braae. The pot of money for political parties to spend on election advertising on radio, television and the internet has been divvied up for 2020, with Labour and National securing more than a million dollars each … Read more

A step by step guide for compulsory anonymity in political donations

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All this week on The Spinoff, a series of articles examine the crisis in our electoral funding rules. How did we get here? How might we fix it? Here Liam Hehir sets out how a donations regime of compulsory anonymity might actually work.  For the last little while, I’ve talked to anyone willing to listen about … Read more

The NZ First donations investigation had to happen. And ignorance is no excuse

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Otago University law professor Andrew Geddis explains why authorities are so interested in what the NZ First Party did with donations to the ‘NZ First Foundation’. Political donation scandals, it would seem, are like Wellington buses. You can spend years impatiently waiting on one, then along come a couple in quick succession. Because, hot on … Read more

Whose job is it anyway? Inside our inadequate, uncoordinated efforts to up voter turnout

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Turnout in our local elections has long been in decline, particularly among the young. Alex Braae looks at what’s being done to improve those stats, and find a lack of centralised funding and strategy. Our local elections coverage is fully funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here. This … Read more