POLL POSITION: TWO NON-VOTERS TALK ABOUT NOT VOTING

I’m just not really interested in it to be honest. I think if I voted for someone I don’t think that the opinions that I have would matter to what they have. I’ve never found someone who would be able to do things for New Zealand that I’d want to be done, so I’ve just never really voted for anyone.

At the moment, I like [The Opportunities Party leader] Gareth Morgan. I like his opinions and views . . . but at the same, to me, for someone like that to have opinions and control over New Zealand, it’d be too hard for him to be able to be in a position where all of his policies would get in. There’s a hundred I voted once about 20 years ago. I went round to a friend’s place. I would have been about 18, he was a few years older. He said, ‘You might as well come down and pick a number’ so that’s what I did. I can’t remember who I voted for but they didn’t get in.

The main reason I don’t vote is because it’s too many false hopes and empty promises. People say they’re going to do this and do that and at the end of the day nothing really gets done. New Zealand should be for New Zealanders, putting New Zealanders first. We were a selfsufficient country when Muldoon was in power and now we’re not.

I don’t follow politics. I hear through the grapevine what mates are saying, but no. I think Winston Peters is probably more New Zealand first. Not knowing anything I and whatever people sitting in Parliament deciding what happens.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to vote this time. I don’t think I will. I know it’s stupid – one person, who’s going to make the difference?, and if everyone thinks like that why bother voting – but I just don’t think my one vote would make a difference and there’s no-one I agree with enough to want to vote.

My friends and family all vote. Everyone else I know votes.

I don’t feel bad about not voting. It’s your own personal opinion. Nothing’s going to make me feel guilty for not wanting to exercise that right, so I just don’t. would give him the vote because I like the idea of some of the things that I’d heard. He’s not so much in for letting foreigners come in and buy up which I think is good.

I’m looking for politicians that are going to put New Zealanders first and look after our country. If we’ve got a national deficit, get it sorted.

Since when, before the earthquake, have we seen people sitting on the side of Colombo St with rags and trolleys and dogs? We don’t need that.

I might vote this time. I think why not? What else can I do? I thought maybe not enough s...’s getting done because there’s too many people like me not voting. If I knew there was a Cabinet saying, ‘The Avon River’s going to be cleaned out’, if someone said one decent thing like that I’d be voting for them straight away.