Do you remember your first voting day? I remember mine clearly.
I was 19 years old and Helen Clark had been Prime Minister for nine years – just a little under half of my life, and certainly most of my living memory at that point in time.
In fact,I’m pretty sure the first time I became conscious of politicians even existing was the huge fuss when Jenny Shipley became New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister in 1997, when I was 8.
To be perfectly honest, though, I have a clearer recollection of the circumstances of Princess Diana’s death earlier that same year – I just now had to do an internet search to recall it was Jim Bolger who Shipley replaced. Fingers crossed that question never pops up in a pub quiz.
But as I grew from a child into a teenager, my interest in politics grew, too.
How could it not? It was an interesting time to be a young person. Think back to what made headlines in those years: civil unions, legalising prostitution, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the Foreshore and Seabed Act, Kiwibank, KiwiSaver, National’s email leaks, Working for Families and interest-free student loans, to name the issues I remember clearest.
And then, of course, there was The Big One. The Global Financial Crisis.
We were all feeling it by the time November 8, 2008 rolled around – and it was scary. We were facing a great unknown; stability had been yanked out from under our feet and we were seeing the beginnings of steep unemployment and a crashing housing market.
We weren’t just voting on the issues we cared about, we were voting for who we thought could lead us out of a recession.
A voting booth in Auckland during the 2008 New Zealand election. Photo / Chris Skelton
I remember picking my outfit meticulously that day. There was a part of me, I think, that was scared I’d get turned away at the door for looking like an underaged imposter, so I chose my most sensible ‘big girl’ outfit – black pants, a button-up shirt and black shoes. Serious stuff. I probably looked like I was heading to a job interview.
I’m pretty sure I even packed multiple forms of ID and about five blue-ink pens in my handbag just in case. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say.
There were a few voting places near me, so I chose the one that looked the easiest to access – a little old hall in Whakatāne – and lined up among the far more casually dressed people also waiting their turn to tick their papers. I’m pretty sure one woman was even wearing her slippers.
I was in and out in less than 10 minutes, and that was the last major milestone I had to cross off my list towards becoming an official adult.
Driver’s license – check.
Job – check.
Alcohol purchase – check.
Leave school – check.
Move out of home – check.
Student loan – check.
Vote – check.
Adult card complete.
Later that evening, I watched the news as it became clear John Key would be our new Prime Minister, and it felt like such a big change.
Politics aside, isn’t it funny to think that he was the first male Prime Minister I saw winning an election? Not many of us grew up with a woman as the default image of a Prime Minister as people my age did.
This will be the sixth general election I’ve been able to vote in. It’s kind of crazy to think that we’ve had four Prime Ministers during the course of those six elections – John Key, Bill English, Jacinda Ardern, and now Chris Hipkins.
And we’ve had far more leaders of the Opposition since then: Phil Goff, David Shearer, David Cunliffe, Andrew Little, Ardern, English, Simon Bridges, Todd Muller, Judith Collins, and now Christopher Luxon.
Each of them brought a fight to the table in their own unique ways, and each has had an impact on our little nation.
Tomorrow, every single eligible voter in this country has a chance to make our voices heard and choose the next group of people to help lead our country. That is a huge responsibility.
Most of us will have made our minds up by now as to who we think will best represent our interests.
But for those who haven’t, there are many fabulous tools that can help you reach a decision.
There are online tools, such as Vote Compass, and each party’s websites. Most local news agencies will have done profiles on local candidates, and I’m sure I’m far from alone in having found plenty of flyers in my mailbox.
Please, if you haven’t already, get out and vote. You’ve got until 7pm tomorrow.
These days, rather than my job interview-chic look of 15 years ago, I’ll likely roll up to the election booth in my shorts and jandals, my EasyVote card buried somewhere in my handbag among the screeds of snacks, toys and receipts.
But I’ll be out there, having my say.
I hope you do, too.
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
