CAMPAIGN DIARY

The latest news from the campaign trail.

YESTERDAY

Bill English and the National Party bus campaigned up the North Island as far as Taupo. Jacinda Ardern visited a mushroom farm in Christchurch and Canterbury University. James Shaw visited Auckland University.

TODAY

Jacinda Ardern will attend her grandmother’s funeral in Te Aroha. The National Party bus will head to Auckland.

TOMORROW

Interference-free voting. All campaigning must cease. Any statement including tweets likely to influence a voter to support or oppose a candidate or party is liable on conviction to a fine of $20,000.

OF NOTE

The good news is that under an urgent OIA request, the Department of Internal Affairs released the file of National MP Jian Yang’s application for citizenship. The bad news is it redacted the vital piece of information which would show whether the MP disclosed his former employment in China as an English language teacher to a military school that trains spies.

ADVANCED VOTING

The Electoral Commission advises that 806,043 people have voted early, compared with 435,095 by the same time at the 2014 election and 190,019 at the same time in the 2011 election.

MMP IN A NUTSHELL

You have two votes under MMP. The Electorate Vote is for the person you would like to be your local Member of Parliament. The Party Vote is the most important and is for the party you most want to be in Government. The Party Vote determines how many MPs each party has. Parties can only have MPs if they win at least 5% of the Party Vote or if they win an electorate seat.

“People actually just don’t understand MMP.” Green Party leader James Shaw. “Only parochialism is keeping the port in the Auckland region instead of logically looking to Northport.” Northland MP Winston

Peters, at an Auckland waterfront rally.